Sentinel Kakashi
by Amaterasu333
Summary: Father/Son.Orochimaru will do anything to have Sasuke,regardless the cost. Kakashi will do anything to keep him safe,even if it means his life. Will Kakashi be able to protect his beloved student from the clutches of the cursed snake,or will evil prevail?
1. Ominusus

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

**First off, I would like to thank those who viewed and reviewed my last story "I Wouldn't Change it for the World." It was my first, so I really appreciate all the support and awesome comments. **

**So, this is like, only my second story and it will definitely be a multi-chapter fic. I haven't worked out how many yet, but it will be quite a few. We'll see, but anyway, it doesn't really matter. I just hope you guys enjoy. This chapter is pretty much like a prologue.**

**This, of course, will be another SasuKaka father/son fic. Hope you guys enjoy it. **

_Prologue: Ominosus_

The dieing flickering flames of the candles were the only thing that gave off any indication of life. Otherwise the place seemed devoid of the very idea that much could coexist with such clammy darkness. The room was clocked in flickering shadows created by the candles' flames. It was a dark and dreary place, fit for a creature of dark and dreary existence. It was truly fit for a snake.

"It seems things didn't go quite as planned eh Orochimaru-Sama." a young man said, halve his face hidden in the shadows. It was less of a question and more of a statement.

The young man did not get a response of any kind, but he didn't hesitate to ask his next question.

"So, what next? What will you do without Sasuke?"

"Silence Kabuto!" The man hissed, a bit out of anger, and more out of frustration. This response had taken Kabuto back a bit, but it didn't scare him enough to decide against continuing.

"What's your next plan of action. Sasuke seems completely out of reach by this point. His curse seal has been gone for a year now and he won't come looking for power from you. His friends wiped that from his head a long time ago. Surely you must be considering anoth-"

Orochimaru looked up at his apprentice, with a sudden menacing smirk spreading across his face, making Kabuto instantly still his lips. He couldn't tell what was going through his master and teacher's head at that point.

"There is one other option." Kabuto looked slightly surprised for some time before his face returned to it's original composure.

"Is the reason you have summoned me have to do with obtaining Sasuke, Orochimaru-Sama?" Kabuto looked on curiously wondering what the 'other option' was.

"Certainly, you are aware of the forbidden jutsu I have recently developed, are you not?"

"Yes, but was that have to do wi-" Kabuto stopped mid-sentence, eyes suddenly widening in shock and realization. "You can't mean using that technique on Sasuke. What good could that possibly do." He dared to question his master. Orochimaru would expect such a response however.

"Why such an extreme option? If Sasuke won't come willingly, why not just take him by force?" This was one question that Kabuto had always held back. He could never quite understand the reasoning of waiting for Sasuke to come to them, when he could have easily been taken years ago.

"The boy has been raised with that wretched will of fire instilled in his heart. His curse seal would never be able to reach it's full potential unless he was willing, and that 'will of fire' keeps that scenario out of reach. That's why this is the only option left."

Kabuto thought for a moment about what Orochimaru had said to him, until he understood just what he had in mind in using this technique as a last resort.

"Yes, I see what it is you want to come out of this then. Still, are you willing to wait that long. I still don't think the Uchiha's worth that much trouble." There was a tinge of amusement and laughter that could be heard at the end of the statement.

"Do you have a better vessel in mind." Orochimaru asked threatingly. Kabuto didn't feel at all threatened though, and returned the question with a wide ominous grin before answering.

"I'll have Sasuke before the end of the week." He said as he turned around and began to walk toward the exit of the dim dank room.

"Yes. Bring my Sasuke to me Kabuto, You know what to do."

"Of course. Sasuke's all yours"

_**The next evening.**_

Sasuke tiredly walked through the dark streets of Konoha. It was now pretty late, and the village had died down quite a while ago, and would remain quiet until the early shops opened up. The sky had turned into a jet black, starry sky ages ago. The air had grown colder along with the night. Sasuke shivered at a cool breeze that hit the back of his neck, making his hairs stand up on end. It was to be expected in the month of January. Sasuke was no big fan of the cold weather though, and thought spring couldn't come soon enough. Sasuke suddenly stopped in his tracks. He couldn't hold back the urge and let a deep yawn escape his mouth as he held a hand to his mouth. After such a hard day of training, the only thing Sasuke wanted to do was go home, take a hot shower, and hide underneath his warm blankets till the sun came back up. He couldn't wait to get home.

He was satisfied with his training though. Training had been going well these day. His body had finally gotten used to working without that cursed seal of Orochimaru's. It was a pain to deal with. Every time he would train, it would absorb or pump in chakra as it saw fit. It was like the thing had a mind of it's own, not to mention the pain it caused when it spread over his body. It was unbearable and exhausting. In fact, it had become so bad, he could hardly train without being sent to the hospital. Back then, the only thing he could have done was learn to control the seal, which would be impossible without Orochimaru's guidance, and so that was out of the question. But then unexpectedly, Tsunade had actually found a way to break the seal. It was a painful process, but it was all worth it. He was glad to be rid of anything related to Orochimaru.

Sasuke fetched his house keys out his pocket as he approached the door to his small cozy apartment. He opened the door, only thing on his mind being his bed. He could already hear it bellowing him towards it. He walked forward stepping over the threshold, and closed the door behind him. He didn't even bother cutting on a lamp and just bypassed the living room, heading straight to his bedroom. He had the urge to just jump into bed, sweaty clothes and all, but he convinced himself to clean up.

7 minutes later, he had probably taken the quickest most rushed shower in his life, but he was clean and that's what mattered. As quick as it was, it still managed to make him feel even sleepier. He walked out the bathroom, into the bedroom, plopping himself down on the bed. He could have fell asleep as is if not for the cold that had settled in the room. His aching muscles protested as they were forced to work hard enough to get Sasuke underneath the warm blankets. It was hard enough. Now that he was there, he was much more content in his warm state. He fell asleep within minutes.

An unknown figure had stood silently, watching the boy quickly fall asleep under the blankets, through a window. He loomed ominously, hair as silver as the moon. His glasses glowed a blinding white as the moon's light reflected off the lenses. His head tilted, moonlight revealing a wicked smile.

"Took you long enough Sasuke." He hissed the name of his target out of pure pleasure.

"It won't be much longer now."

"_**The boy has been raised with that wretched will of fire instilled in his heart. His curse seal would never be able to reach it full potential unless he was willing. But there is one other option."**_

"_**Bring my Sasuke to me Kabuto, You know what to do."**_

The words ringed through Kabuto's head as he was preparing to go through with the plans.

"It seems Orochimaru would do a lot to have you."

Enough talking and waiting. Sasuke was in a deep sleep by this time and Kabuto hoped he could achieve his goal without waking the Uchiha. It was true that Sasuke had truly progressed in strength. Kabuto wasn't sure if he could take him down so easily, and he didn't want to try and find out. Besides, a battle would bring too much attention, even in this late hour. Waking up the Uchiha would more than likely result in failure, not to mention, Konoha would be on high alert for days. Last thing he wanted was to have to deal with Orochimaru.

He opened the window, sending a cold gust of air into the room, slithering through as quiet as a snake. He walked slowly up to the sleeping figure, being extra careful not to wake him. Under normal circumstances, perhaps Sasuke would have woken up, but his fatigue and aching muscles overpowered his cat-like senses. Kabuto came to a stop in front of the bed, shadow hovering menacingly over Sasuke.

Kabuto carefully performed a string of complex hand signs, creating a purplish blue glow that enveloped his entire right hand. Lowering it slowly, he placed the hand upon the sleeping boy's head. An intense blast of the blue chakra suddenly pumped into his head and throughout the rest his body, making his entire body glow a blue hue.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly shot open, feeling a strange sensation come over him. He looked around nervously, not really knowing what had happened. He saw nothing unusual. It was the same as normal. He felt another strange sensation reach the back of his neck, making him shiver. He looked over to find his window open. There was a cold winter breeze blowing though making the room colder by the minute. He got up quickly to take a look.

"Hnnn?" He questioned himself. He certainly didn't remember this window being open when he went to bed. He got closer and stuck his head out the window, peering in all directions, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Everything looked normal though.

Content with his brief evaluation, Sasuke shut the window and decided that he was overreacting to a little cold wind. He yawned before he sleepily made his way back into bed, once again getting comfortable underneath the blankets.

Outside the window, Kabuto pulled himself from the surface of the wall. It was a special cloaking ability he had learned from Orochimaru, and Kabuto was grateful to have taken the time to learn it. It definitely came in useful this night.

"That was too close." He peeked through the window nervously. "It's too dangerous to stay here now. I'll be back for you later. The jutsu won't take affect for a few hours anyhow."

With that Kabuto left the apartment and it's renter to themselves, definitely wanting to get out of Konoha before he was spotted. He had successfully completed the first part of his mission.

**End**

**That's the end. It was like the prologue of the story. I hope it interested you all. This will be my first multi-chapter fic and only my second fiction in all. I already have the generalized story in mind. The hard part is putting it on paper and making it work. I plan on giving you guys the entire story. I would hate to have a writer's block in the middle of it an quit. Don't worry, I won't, hopefully. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. Don't be soft. I would appreciate all the critique if it helps me improve my stories for you guys. Oh, and quick question? This is an alternate timeline, obviously. Doesn't mean that Yamato and Sai can't make an appearance. I can't confirm Sai, but Yamato may definitly make an appearance if he gets a couple of votes from reviewers. So my question is 'Sai and Yamato or no?' Your choice. You can post your answers in the reviews. Hopefully I get some lol. **

**- Amaterasu333**

Note:

**Ominosus**

**Latin**

**Etymology**

Omen + -osus

foreboding, ominous, portentous


	2. Praemonere

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Alright. Second chapter here. I'll start this off again by thanking all my reviewers and those who put this story in their faves and alerts. Very inspirational and encouraging. It all makes me very proud. This chapter is sorter than the last, so I'm very sorry, really. Regardless, please enjoy. I'll start you off with a segment from the last chapter, in case you guys need a little memory jog. Hope you guys like.

_**Previously:**_

_Kabuto carefully performed a string of complex hand signs, creating a purplish blue glow that enveloped his entire right hand. Lowering it slowly, he placed the hand upon the sleeping boy's head. An intense blast of the blue chakra suddenly pumped into his head and throughout the rest his body, making his entire body glow a blue hue. _

_Sasuke's eyes suddenly shot open, feeling a strange sensation come over him. He looked around nervously, not really knowing what had happened. He saw nothing unusual. It was the same as normal. He felt another strange sensation reach the back of his neck, making him shiver. He looked over to find his window open. There was a cold winter breeze blowing though making the room colder by the minute. He got up quickly to take a look._

"_Hnnn?" He questioned himself. He certainly didn't remember this window being open when he went to bed. He got closer and stuck his head out the window, peering in all directions, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Everything looked normal though. _

_Content with his brief evaluation, Sasuke shut the window and decided that he was overreacting to a little cold wind. He yawned before he sleepily made his way back into bed, once again getting comfortable underneath the blankets. _

_Outside the window, Kabuto pulled himself from the surface of the wall. It was a special cloaking ability he had learned from Orochimaru, and Kabuto was grateful to have taken the time to learn it. It definitely came in useful this night. _

"_That was too close." He peeked through the window nervously. "It's too dangerous to stay here now. I'll be back for you later. The jutsu won't take affect for a few hours anyhow." _

_With that Kabuto left the apartment and it's renter to themselves, definitely wanting to get out of Konoha before he was spotted. He had successfully completed the first part of his mission._

_Chapter 2: Praemonere_

It was several hours later when the sun begin to crack through the sky, sending ripples of light throughout Konoha. The light started to shine brightly through Sasuke's window onto his face. He slowly opened his eyes, and then closed them quickly as the light flooded his retinas. He groaned loudly as he shifted uneasily to his side, trying to get a quick glance at his clock.

**7:28**

He cursed inaudibly under his breath. He was already an hour and a halve late. Not that Kakashi had to find out, since he was always 2 hours late himself. Still, Shame overtook his consciousness. Sasuke was never tardy, regardless of how late he trained the night before. Not to mention, he could already imagine the backlash.

"Ugh. I can't wait to hear what Naruto has to say about this." He said sarcastically, with no emotion in his voice. He would have to use one of Kakashi's 'Sorry I'm late' excuses on Naruto and Sakura today.

**7:30**

Time was ticking away. Sasuke really was trying to get out of bed, but for some strange reason, even after over sleeping for almost two whole hours, he felt unusually tired and a bit nauseous. He felt like he had no energy at all. His body felt heavy with fatigue and now that he realized it, his head was aching him. He felt horrible quite frankly. He played with the idea of not getting up at all as he allowed his heavy, already half-lidded eyes, to shut closed. He hummed sleepily to himself, thinking as hard as a half asleep Shinobi could. Surely, his Uchiha intelligence and ninja-worthy smarts could come up with some brilliant, intricately designed, plot to deceive his comrades. Naw. It wasn't worth the trouble, he decided. He could have pulled of if he tried , though, or so he strongly believed. Either way, he was done musing and humoring his uncharacteristically childish ideas, and made up his mind to get up.

He tried to use his arms to lift himself into a sitting position. As he pushed himself up, a strange feeling surged through his body. It was that same sensation that he felt the night before. The little strength he did have was suddenly zapped from him and his arms began to wobble and shutter underneath him until he finally laid back down. His headache grew more intense, and he groaned and hissed in agony. The searing pain began gnawing at his head harshly as he grabbed it with both hand in a futile attempt to relieve the agony.

"What's w-wrong." He wasn't sure what to think. Maybe he had caught some sort of bug. He shouldn't have trained so late the cold night before was his first thoughts. Suddenly, a strong feeling of sleepiness settled over him.

**7:34**

He looked again at the clock with halve-lidded unfocussed eyes. Another rush of the sensation traveled through his body suddenly, making his body jump from the awkward feeling. He felt it rush through his spine, into his legs, and arms. The strange tingling sensation even reached his finger-tips. The room started to spin and tilt. He grunted as his hands moved from his head to the bed, fingers gripping tightly around the sheets, a reflexive response to the dizziness and feeling as if he was falling. He was feeling stranger and stranger. As if he wasn't even in his right state of mind. It was as if he was blacking out as a heavy blurriness settled in his vision. He just wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep. He was feeling completely lethargic, but not enough to fail in realizing that this was no ordinary flu and that he needed a doctor. He would have to get to his telephone, which had to be on the other side of the room. Try as he might, he wasn't going to get anywhere as he realized he couldn't move a muscle in is body. He laid there on the bed, body completely locked in it's position, suddenly panting as he began to feel out of breathe. He couldn't even move his eyes. All he could see was what was directly in front of him, which happened to be the clock.

He forced his blurred eyes to focus on the number as best he could in hopes that he could calm down and keep himself from blacking out. The bright red 7:39 began to fade into the darkness of his approaching unconsciousness. He let out one last pathetically futile attempt to help himself in his lethargic state.

"I… need h-he…p" Sleep had overcome him before the slurred words could escaped his mouth.

Naruto and Sakura waited patiently in the usual meeting spot. Well… at least Sakura waited patiently. Naruto had just been whining for the last hour . In fact, without Sasuke, she noticed Naruto whining more than he usually did. Sakura was getting ready to punch his chattering teethe out.

"I can't believe this. Kakashi is one thing, but to think, 'teme is even late."

"Yeah. Naruto I know, you've already said that nine times." Sakura was annoyed, but the displeased expression soon gave way to a concerned one. It wasn't like Sasuke to be late, ever.

"So, you think Sasuke is okay? This is pretty unusual for him." She asked as she turned to look at her blond friend, face laden with concern.

Naruto could see the worry in her face.

"Naw, he's fine. That perverted sensei of ours is just rubbing off on 'im is all. Just wait till he starts reading Icha Paradise." Naruto smiled as best he could, trying to cheer Sakura up. He couldn't help but feel a bit anxious himself though. This wasn't like his raven-haired friend/rival at all.

Sakura didn't seem at all encouraged though. Naruto's fake smile died down, revealing his true expression of concern, for both Sakura and Sasuke.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared behind, the two in a cloud of smoke.

"Hello, sorry I'm late. I wa-" Kakashi didn't even get a change to give an excuse to the two ninja in front of him.

"Kakashi. Have you seen Sasuke!" Concern and worry flooded Sakura's voice. She prayed that her sensei would have an answer. Kakashi could only exchange her hopeful expression with a confused one .

"Hmm. Isn't he here?" Kakashi asked as he looked around for his third student, only to find that there indeed were only two. Sakura's head only lowered as a response.

"He's always the first one here." Even Naruto couldn't hide the growing worry that was building up inside of him.

All was silent for a while as Kakashi stared at the two who seemed genuinely worried. Finally, He spoke up.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's just fine. Knowing how late he can train sometime, I wouldn't be so surprised if he's oversleeping. You two wait here while I go see what's keeping him." Kakashi's voice was calm and collected, trying to calm Naruto and Sakura down.

The two did feel a lot better now that Kakashi was there to handle the situation. They both nodded to Kakashi's request to stay put until he (along with Sasuke) returned for training.

"You two spar a little alright." Kakashi muttered the words before he was gone in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto looked at Sakura nervously in the corner of his eyes. 'Great. Give her a reason to punch my teethe out with that strength of hers.' Naruto sighed mentally.

Kakashi was now on his way to Sasuke's. He had told Naruto and Sakura that he was sure that Sasuke was okay to calm them down. He couldn't help however, to find the situation quite strange himself. It very well could have been nothing. Then again, it could be something serious. This wasn't like Sasuke after all.

Suddenly, a strange knot had formed in Kakashi's throat. He stopped dead in his tracks as he looked in the direction of Sasuke's apartment. An eerie sensation traveled up his spine. It was like premonition. Kakashi definitely felt something was wrong. He continued, no longer at a steady pace. He had broken out into a run as he felt it wasn't the occasion to take his time.

"Sasuke, you better be alright."

**-End**

That's the end of the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Hopefully I will get chapter 3 out quickly for you all. Are you guys worried about Sasuke-kun :p. Good! You should be 0w0. Aww. Don't worry. See you guys next time. If there is any critique, positive or negative, feel free to review. Thank you.

note: Also, since the vote in the last chapter turned up even, I will continue to let reviewers vote for whether Yamoto is in or not. I may continue this into chapter three as well, though I'm not sure. As for Sai. I'm still trying to figure out if I can mannage to put him in the story at all. Reviewers may not vote twice. I'm looking for different voters. If the vote is still by some chance even by the end of chapter 2 or maybe 3, I'll just have to flip a coin lol.

-Amaterasu333

**Praemonere**

**Latin**

**Etymology **

**prae- + monēre: to warn **

**Forewarn, premonition **


	3. Impossibilis

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Yeah! Seven reviews in one chapter! And so many author and story alerts, too! That's awesome! I know many of you guys are great writers and have a lot of fans, so it's nothing for you. As for me, I still feel like a newbie around here, so it makes me so happy to see that you guys are so interested in my stories. Thank you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Also, xooreoxo brought up a good question that I honestly meant to mention in the first chapter. Don't know how that wasn't included. All of team seven are 15, other than Kakashi of course. Again, this is an alternate timeskip, so no Sasuke going to Orochimaru. That incident never happened.

Also regarding the whole Yamato issue, I suppose I'll give this one more chapter of voting. I hope putting it at the top, more people will see it. I'm guessing having it at the very bottom doesn't help matters at all Haha. He still won't appear for a while if he is included, but I like to work a chapter or two ahead to be honest. I at least like to have it formed in my head, that way you guys don't have to wait while I have a writer's block. So the question still remains.

Yamato? Yay, Nay, or Neutral?

Yes, I have added a third option. If you do review, please include your vote, not that I'm forcing you guys lol. It would be appreciated though. Thanks. Also, if you do review, don't hold back if you have a negative or critical assessment. If it helps me make my stories better, than I can most certainly handle it.J

One last thing. Is the Latin annoying you, because if they are you tell me to stop it. They are starting to annoy me lol. Anyway, I should stop babbling now. Enjoy the chapter.

_**Previously: **_

_Kakashi was now on his way to Sasuke's. He had told Naruto and Sakura that he was sure that Sasuke was okay to calm them down. He couldn't help however, to find the situation quite strange himself. It very well could have been nothing. Then again, it could be something serious. This wasn't like Sasuke after all. _

_Suddenly, a strange knot had formed in Kakashi's throat. He stopped dead in his tracks as he looked in the direction of Sasuke's apartment. An eerie sensation traveled up his spine. It was like premonition. Kakashi definitely felt something was wrong. He continued, no longer at a steady pace. He had broken out into a run as he felt it wasn't the occasion to take his time._

"_Sasuke, you better be alright."_

_Chapter 3: Impossibilis_

Kakashi stood, body slouched and ear pressed firmly against the front door to Sasuke's apartment, listening for the slightest sign of anyone being present within. There wasn't a sound. Kakashi's single visible eye closed, contemplating what to do next. He decided against knocking in case of an intruder being inside. He wouldn't want to alert the enemy.

He instead pulled a key from one of his back pouches strapped to his leg. He was given access keys to both Naruto's and Sasuke's apartments, just in case situations like this arose, particularly for the reason that they were orphaned and lived alone.

He unlocked the door as quietly as possible, trying his hardest to keep the element of surprise. Cracking the door a bit, he peered inside, looking in every direction, until he finally proceeded into the apartment. He looked around, studying every detail for something out of the ordinary.

Even with the room, which Kakashi knew as the living room from previous visits, being dim, he could see that everything looked in place. He closed his eye as he began to search the apartment with his chakra, looking for any source of foreign chakra within as well as Sasuke's.

His eyes opened wide as he definitely felt Sasuke's chakra signature in what he thought may have been his bedroom. Something about it was very off however, though Kakashi couldn't put his finger on it. He felt the chakra of no intruder which was definitely a relief. That didn't necessarily calm his suspicion and he couldn't quell the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Kakashi had the urge to go to Sasuke as quickly as he could, but he knew he couldn't be reckless just because he felt a little at ease. "Hold on Sasuke, just for a little bit longer." He whispered in a low manner trying to think up a plan.

He made a few hand seals and in a cloud of smoke, a small dog appeared. With brown fur, darkly outlined eyes, and floppy dark brown ears, the little pug looked up at his master, awaiting a command as well as an explanation for being summoned to Sasuke's apartment.

"Pakkun. It's Sasuke. I believe that he is in this apartment, but something doesn't feel right. I need you to use your nose and tell me if you sniff something unusual, and if I get in a bad situation, back me up." Kakashi whispered to the dog. Pakkun might have been small, but he made great backup, not to mention he could summon the other nin-kin if something went wrong before alerting the Hokage of the problem. His nose would come in handy as well.

"Hmm. Right." Pakkun answered lazily and nodded to his master's command before going ahead of Kakashi and into a hallway. He sniffed the floor boards carefully, not really smelling anything out of the ordinary, as they walked through the hall. They were careful not to make any sudden movements as it would most certainly generate noise. It wasn't long until the two eventually were in front of Sasuke's bedroom door.

Here, Kakashi motioned for Pakkun to stay behind him as he began to crack open the bedroom door. He looked around the room as he entered, anxiousness rising, not sure what to expect. To his surprise, he saw nothing, or no one, not even Sasuke.

'There's… no one here? Not even Sasuke." Kakashi thought to himself. His face dropped suddenly. He had expected the boy to be there. He just knew he had felt his chakra, but he was nowhere in sight. He didn't know whether or not Sasuke not being there was good or bad.

He looked down, noticing Pakkun looking up at him with curious eyes, awaiting his command from Kakashi. With a nodding gesture from his head, Kakashi motioned the dog ahead of him. Pakkun knew exactly what that meant.

Pakkun entered the room, returning to his job of searching for unusual smells, as Kakashi searched visually for something out of the ordinary. Everything looked pretty normal. The one thing that did look odd was the unmade bed, that Sasuke surely slept in the night before. Sasuke was kind of a neat freak, which is the only reason it caught his eye.

'Maybe he rushed out right before I came.' Kakashi started reasoning with himself, thinking he got worked up for nothing. 'Still, I could have sworn that I sensed Sasu-…'

"Kakashi!" Pakkun called out suddenly, knocking Kakashi out of his thoughts.

"What is it?" Kakashi inquired as he walked up to the dog and he bent down to one knee. Pakkun head turned to meet Kakashi's, serious expression conspicuous in his features. Kakashi knew something was gravely wrong.

"Someone's been here, as you suspected." Kakashi eyes widened in worry. A tight knot began to form in his stomach and chest, as he started to fear for his student's safety again.

"Whoever it was, came in through that window. It looks like they were standing right over Sasuke's bed. It's strange though. There's no blood, not the faintest scent, and if he was simply taken, then there's no sign of a struggle." Pakkun was right. The scenario was definitely strange and the facts weren't adding up.

"Do you recognize the scent at all." Kakashi asked, desperate for a positive answer.

"Actually, it does smell faintly familiar, but… my nose can't place it." Pakkun had an apologetic look on his face. "I'm Sorry Kakashi, I'll do my best to identi-"

Pakkun's statement was abruptly interrupted when an odd little noise erupted through the room, causing the two to jump slightly out of their skin. 'Intruder' was the first thought that came to their minds as they braced themselves in a battle stance, ready to fight if necessary. Pakkun's ears twitched as he tried to zone in on what the sound was and where it might have come from.

Then the sound came again. It sounded like a small gurgle. Both Kakashi and Pakkun looked at the bed, eyebrows raised at the peculiar sound, as they realized it was coming from underneath the blankets and sheets of Sasuke's bed.

They stared for what seemed like minutes, a little freaked out. They finally gathered the courage to take a closer look.

Pakkun, being too small to get a proper look, jumped onto his master's shoulder. He wouldn't dare jump on the bed, containing the strange 'thing'.

Kakashi and Pakkun inched closer, cautious of the strange being that was now stimulating continuous ripples through the bedspread, as it was apparently wriggling around with an agitated movement.

"Alright… Whoever…or whatever the hell you are… you can just come out from under there." Kakashi grabbed a kunai from one of his small pouches. There was no response, just the strange babbling.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know where Sasuke is." Kakashi reasoned seriously, though he honestly planned to beat the crap out of anyone who bothered his students. He would never say that though. Regardless of how calm and sincere he sounded, he again got no response any more comprehensible than before.

Kakashi was now standing at the side of the bed, still on edge and on high alert.

"If you've hurt my student, I can promise you I won't go easy. Give yourself up, and I might just spare you." Kakashi's words held seriousness and a tinge of anger could be heard seeping into his voice. He wasn't playing around, and he certainly wasn't willing to reason anymore. He cursed under his breath when again he got no real response.

"Kashi careful?" Pakkun whispered. Kakashi nodded tensely.

He reached his arm out apprehensively until it was directly over the wiggling, squirming, gurgling bundle of blankets. One hand began to reach closer as the other hand still holding the kunai, gripped even tighter and raised slightly. Kakashi was moving as if whatever was under the blankets was going to instantly bite his hand off if he got too close.

The ends of his fingers grabbed a large portion of the edge of the top of the blankets, preparing to yank them off. Kakashi and Pakkun glanced at each other one last time before simultaneously nodding, both now mentally and physically ready for what they were about to face.

Kakashi, with one last little hesitation, pulled furiously, throwing the night blue blankets behind his back as he himself took a large step backward, hoping to avoid any kind of 'attack' that may come.

The blankets and sheets settled on the ground as Kakashi attempted to get a clearer view of what exactly he was looking at. Kakashi and Pakkun stared with open wide eyes and a gaping mouth, neither confident their eyes weren't playing tricks on there minds.

Kakashi quickly walked up to get a closer look. It couldn't be what he thought it was.

"It can't be…"

**-End**

Hehe. Cliffhangers. Don't you just love em. Huh. You don't love them? You h-hate them? Oh sorry. Well, anyway, that's it for chapter 3. It may be predictable to some what's going on. Others may be completely clueless, and that's fine. I'd prefer it that way. Hope you guys liked the chapter. Thanks for reading and see you guys next time. Remember, don't hesitate to post a negative critique if you have one and please remember to vote if you would like to. Thank you.

-Amaterasu333

Note:

**Impossibilis**

**Latin**

**Etymology **

**In-(Im when besides a 'p') + posse-: to be able + ibilis: able**

**Literal meaning "not able to be possible".**

**Impossible**


	4. Regredi

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hey guys. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Weekend. Glad to have chapter four up for you all. As always, thanks to my reviewers and those who faved and put me and my stories on alert. I know my chapters have been short, so I'm working on maybe making my chapters longer in the future. This one is a bit longer than they have been previously. I can't promise all will be longer, but I'll do my best to make many of them a little longer when I can. Keep in mind, longer chapters will more than likely mean longer waiting times for each chapter. Other than that, not much to say this chapter, so I guess I'll just let you all get to the story. Enjoy.

_**Previously:**_

_The ends of his fingers grabbed a large portion of the edge of the top of the blankets, preparing to yank them off. Kakashi and Pakkun glanced at each other one last time before simultaneously nodding, both now mentally and physically ready for what they were about to face._

_Kakashi, with one last little hesitation, pulled furiously, throwing the night blue blankets behind his back as he himself took a large step backward, hoping to avoid any kind of 'attack' that may come._

_The blankets and sheets settled on the ground as Kakashi attempted to get a clearer view of what exactly he was looking at. Kakashi and Pakkun stared with open wide eyes and a gaping mouth, neither confident their eyes weren't playing tricks on there minds. _

_Kakashi quickly walked up to get a closer look. It couldn't be what he thought it was._

"_It can't be…"_

_Chapter 4: Regredi_

Kakashi and Pakkun looked down at the strange figure, not really believing their eyes. Kakashi himself was shocked and amazed at the same time. Could it really be what it looked like. "S-Sasuke?" the dog barked out in complete shock. Kakashi couldn't help but stare. Indeed. there, lying before him, was what appeared to be the dear middle child of his beloved students, except, he wasn't his usual 15 year old self. Not at all. He hardly looked too much past a year. It was a mere child, hardly a toddler, though it shared such an uncanny resemblance. Still, it just couldn't be Sasuke. No way. But, it certainly looked like him, well… like an extremely cute, baby version of him, anyway. So many questions were running through the jounin's mind. Kakashi bent over a bit to look closer at the small child.

"I-is that… really you…" Kakashi whispered shakily, as if the baby would blow up if he spoke too loud. "S-Sasuke?" The baby's eyes shot upward as if recognizing his very name. After a bit of sleepy blinking, and a cute little yawn, he looked up at Kakashi and just stared, seemingly a bit confused himself.

Pakkun jumped of his master's shoulder and onto the bed where the child laid. He walked up, taking thorough sniffs of the blankets, sheets, and eventually the child himself. He looked up at Kakashi.

"Yep. Got Sasuke's scent all over 'im. This is him alright. Question is 'how'd he get this way?'"

Kakashi, still skeptical, reached his arms out, and carefully took the child in his hands, holding him up carefully. Sasuke started to squirm in the man's grip, small whimpers escaping his pink lips. He really did look like Sasuke. The same raven hair, except it was a bit curly. There was still the little duck butt bundle of hair in the back though. His onyx eyes shown underneath the curly locks of hair slightly covering the top of his face. Both his dark hair and eyes stood out against his porcelain white skin. He really was a beautiful child. Then there was that pout that had formed on his face. Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little. It was sorta like watching a miniature 'death glare.' Kakashi was certain it really was his student he held in his hands.

Sasuke had had enough of this strange man holding him and seemed more agitated by the second. Before Kakashi knew it, the child was wailing, not very loud but not quietly either, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Shhh. No. Don't cry, please! Shhhhh." Kakashi whispered desperately, yet softly, trying to soothe the child. He laid Sasuke against his chest, with his head resting on Kakashi's shoulder. He rubbed the child's back gently, still trying his best to make soothing sounds. After a couple of minutes, the crying started to die down. Kakashi lowered him down, laying him in the cradle of his now rocking arms. He held Sasuke in one arm, and used his free hand to gently wipe the child's tear-streaked face. "See. It's okay. No need to be so upset." The child had stopped crying and now laid relaxed in Kakashi's arm, as he sucked his thumb, while babbling somewhat incomprehensible words.

"Who did this to you?" Kakashi said with a melancholic tone as he looked down sadly at the little boy in his arms. The child simply stared back innocently, not understanding a word the man had said. It was obvious to Kakashi that he wasn't going to get any answers from the baby.

"What's our next step Kakashi?" Pakkun, still seated on the bed, asked.

"I've gotta get him to Tsunade. Pakkun, I want you to hurry on to the bridge and tell Naruto and Sakura to meet me as soon as possible at the Hokage's office."

"Right." Pakkun nodded for extra emphasis that he understood. And with that, Kakashi grabbed what was now an overgrown shirt still lying on the bed and wrapped the child tightly in it, and left Sasuke's house, hoping Tsunade could fix the problem. Pakkun too, left and parted ways with Kakashi.

Dark eyes watched the grey-haired older man heading in the direction of the hokage. 'So close.' Kabuto thought to himself. He stood directly outside Sasuke's window, frown and disgusted expression affixed on his face. Just when the jutsu had taken full affect. Just when he was about to obtain his target and achieve his goal, the intrusive sensei came barging in. Still, he had to count his blessings. He was lucky that he wasn't detected. If the baby hadn't caught the dog's attention, he probably would have sniffed him out. As well as he could conceal his chakra signature, he could never truly cloak his scent.

He should've known. Everything was working out too perfectly in his favor. There had to be a hitch somewhere. He decided It didn't matter. He would just have to use another strategy. He needed a challenge anyway. Things were seeming a bit too easy.

"See you later… Sasuke." The man said somberly as he left into the shadows.

**Thump Thump Thump**

Tsunade, already in a sour mood from doing paperwork all night, lifted her head irritably at the banging of her door. She had a horrible headache and didn't want to hear it.

**Thump Thump Thump **

The sound resonated through the room again, making a vein visible on Tsunade's temple.

"Can't I go five minutes without someone trying to break my door in! What is it?

"Tsunade-Sama, please. It's an emergency! It's Sasuke!" Kakashi said, sounding completely out of breath after the frantic run over.

"Well, don't just stand behind the door. Come in. What is i-…" Tsunade stopped before she could finish as Kakashi pushed roughly through her door, baby in hands. She stared at Kakashi for a while, at the small child, then back at Kakashi.

"I thought this was about your student. Who's the brat?"

"This **brat **is Sasuke!"

Tsunade just looked annoyed. She obviously wasn't taking the man seriously.

"Did Jiraiya put you up to this?" Her voice sounded skeptical and not so amused.

"Tsunade, I'm being serious here. Just look at 'im." Kakashi said, passing the baby into her hands, catching her a little off guard.

Tsunade was getting the impression that maybe Kakashi wasn't joking. She turned her attention to the child that was being held awkwardly in her arms. He did look a bit like Sasuke. Tsunade's eyes opened wide as she realized that this was no joke.

"I need you to tell me everything." She looked up at the man, face now displayed with seriousness.

Kakashi had told her the series of events leading up to the strange situation at hand. She now had Sasuke in a back office, on a table with a small blanket spread across it. Her hands glowed green as it hovered over the boy's entire body, looking for some clue as to what the jutsu was and how it could be reversed. So far, she was having no luck in the matter. The squirming and crying didn't make the job any easier.

"He doesn't really like being man-handled." Kakashi chuckled, memory of a earlier situation popping up in his head.

"Yes, I see." Tsunade sighed in frustration, but she was just about done anyway.

"Well, that's it. I'm done," Tsunade said, handing over the crying child.

"Really? Well….-?" Kakashi asked desperately, though hopefully, as he tried his hardest to calm the child using the techniques used earlier.

"Well…I'm not really sure. Not yet at least." Tsunade said guiltily.

"So,… you can't do anything to help him."

"I'm going to have to look deeper into it, honestly. It's quite possible this jutsu is a forbidden technique. I've never heard of it. If so, it could take even longer to find a way to reverse it. Look Kakashi. I have to be honest with you. There's the possibility that I won't be able to change him back."

Kakashi looked dismayed. All of this only made his anger grow. He could feel a pain forming in his chest.

"How could I let this happen?"

"Don't go blaming yourself Kakashi. For now, let's just focus on Sasuke." By this time Sasuke's crying had quieted down to soft sobs. Both Kakashi and Tsunade was now looking at the baby. Sasuke seemed to sense the attention and looked up toward the both of them with watery, innocent eyes and a pouted lip.

"Awww. I think he's cuter this way. Maybe he should stay like this." Tsunade joked as she started stroking his tear streaked cheek with her finger. Sasuke instantly started to whimper again, preparing for another crying session. Tsunade pulled her hand back, amused look gone from her face. "Still as disagreeable as ever though. He doesn't even liked to be touched."

"That definitely sounds like Sasuke. I guess some things are the same, no matter the age." Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle. Tsunade face lightened back up as well.

She suddenly noticed that Sasuke was still wrapped in his now oversized shirt.

"He needs something more fitting to wear. We don't need him catching a cold." She motioned over an assistant. "Find the child something more suitable." The assistant nodded, and left the room with the Sasuke, already started to squirm and wriggle in the hands of another stranger. He was tired of being passed along like a rag doll. A few minute passed before the two were back, Sasuke fitted with something more suitable for his age and size. The infant came out sobbing, as to be expected, and was handed back to Kakashi immediately. Strangely, he calmed down as soon as the transition was made.

"Looks like he's taking to you well Kakashi." Kakashi looked down at the little bundle in his arms, whose tired eyes were only halve open due to the sleepiness that had come over him. He was quickly drifting to sleep in the comfort of Kakashi's rocking arms.

"How am I suppose to explain you to Naruto and Sakura?" It came out sounding more like a statement rather than a question. Kakashi couldn't help but smile. Sasuke looked far too cute. "… How **am** I gonna explain you to Naruto and Sakura?" He looked up asking Tsunade more than himself, more serious than before.

Suddenly, the doors burst open sending a loud 'bang' echoing through the room as an orange blur rushed through the doors and somehow immediately came crashing to the ground afterwards. Everyone, including the baby, jumped at the unexpected disturbance of peace. Kakashi looked down at the clumsy ninja who had apparently tripped over his own two feet, in a hurry. The orange ninja yelped slightly, rubbing the pain out his nose from smacking the ground face-first, until he looked up, finally noticing his sensei and jumping up onto his feet.

"Do you have to kick my door down every time!" Tsunade asked angrily. Her speech was directed at the orange-clad ninja who was still holding his nose. Sakura followed on feet behind, a little out of breathe. The small dog, came throttling in last, panting and quite out of breathe himself, not being able to keep up with the other two.

"Well. I guess now's your chance to explain." Kakashi could distinguish the mocking nature of Tsunade's voice. Kakashi sighed loudly, not even attempting to hide it. Well, at least someone would enjoy this, because he sure wouldn't.

**-End**

Yeah. The ending was a bit weak. Didn't quite know how to end this chapter. Sorry. Still, I hope you all were able to enjoy it. At least it wasn't like last chapter's cliffhanger. Haha. Well, thanks for reading. Please review, even if you have a negative response. See you all next time.

Amaterasu333

Note-

**Regredi **

**Latin**

**Etymology**

**re- ("back") + gradi- ("to go").**

**Literal meaning: "to go back"**

**Regress, Regression**


	5. Sentinel Kakashi

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hello everyone. How you all doing. Hope you enjoying Christmas break as much as I am. Here's a little present for you guys. Yeah I know I haven't updated in a little while. I honestly like to update sooner, but a series of unfortunate events really prevented me from doing so unfortunately. For one, not long after I posted the last chapter, my computer kind of crashed and started acted terribly funny. It wouldn't let me do much. It was weird. Some things I could do, others were out of the question. That's why I never replied to any of your wonderful review, and I apologize for that. I am so thankful to all of you who review my story. Aside from computer issues, I've just been really busy, and haven't gotten much of a chance to really just sit down and relax enough to type. I don't know when I'll get the chance to update this story again. Hopefully soon, but finals are coming up next month for me, so I'll have to see. Anyway, for now, enjoy this chapter.

_**Previously:**_

_Suddenly, the doors burst open sending a loud 'bang' echoing through the room as an orange blur rushed through the doors and somehow immediately came crashing to the ground afterwards. Everyone, including the baby, jumped at the unexpected disturbance of peace. Kakashi looked down at the clumsy ninja who had apparently tripped over his own two feet in a hurry. The orange ninja yelped slightly, rubbing the pain out his nose from smacking the ground face-first, until he looked up, finally noticing his sensei and jumping up onto his feet._

"_Do you have to kick my door down every time!" Tsunade asked angrily. Her speech was directed at the orange-clad ninja who was now stumped over trying to catch his breath. Sakura followed on feet behind, just as out of breathe. _

_The small dog, came throttling in last, panting and quite out of breathe himself, not being able to keep up with the other two._

"_Well. I guess now's your chance to explain." Kakashi could distinguish the mocking nature of Tsunade's voice. Kakashi sighed loudly, not even attempting to hide it. Well, at least someone would enjoy this, because he sure wouldn't._

**Chapter 5: Sentinel Kakashi**

Tsunade were brows knitted together, frustration rising at the orange blur that had just crashed through her doors. It wasn't long before she exploded with anger.

"**DO YOU HAVE TO BUST MY DOOR OF IT'S HINGES!" **Her speech was directed at the orange-clad ninja who jumped at the outburst from the blond woman. At that very moment Sakura stepped in, more composed than Naruto had been, though out of breath. Naruto could run quite quickly when he needed to. Though Sakura couldn't quite keep up, she wasn't far behind. The small dog, came throttling in last, panting and quite out of breathe himself, not being able to keep up with either of the other two.

"Kakashi, I've brought the rest of team 7." Pakkun stated as his breathing returned to normal." Thank you. You've been a big help. You are dismissed." Pakkun nodded quickly and promptly vanished in a puffing cloud of smoke.

"Sensei! We came as quickly as we could! Pakkun told us it was an emergency." Sakura was anxious to hear what the emergency was about. Though, judging from the earlier situation, she already had an idea. "Yeah. Is 'Teme in some kinda danger. What's the problem" Naruto added in abruptly, having the same premonition."

They looked at there sensei anxiously, expectation of bad news written all over their faces. They were apparently too worried to even notice the bundle in their sensei's arm, though perhaps they only dismissed it as a bundle of random cloth, seeing as the child was probably wrapped too thoroughly for them to notice there was a anything within.

"Alright, settle down and relax." Kakashi began slowly, hoping to keep his students from panicking. "We have a situation here, and now is not the time for you two to panic, so please keep calm." The two heeded their sensei's words and would do their best to stay calm, no matter what Kakashi had to say. "Now, the situation at hand is delicate, and as of now, many of the factors are unknown. What we do know, is that Sasuke is being targeted, and it's our job to protect him from further harm."

"Further harm!" Sakura heard the words ring loudly in her ear. "Is Sasuke-kun hurt?" She asked, seeming to become dangerously close to the verge of tears. Kakashi could see the tears and sorrow building up in Sakura, while an insatiable anger was building up in Naruto. Kakashi signed, knowing that the two were about to overreact before hearing the facts.

"Before you two overreact and blow it way out of proportion, Sasuke is fine and isn't hurt. Unfortunately, he's… well," He paused, not really knowing how to word the next part, so he didn't. He maneuvered the child from his arms into his hands and held him out in front of his other two students.

Sakura and Naruto stared and the child for awhile confused. They both eyed him as if it were some sort of alien, absorbing all it's strangely familiar features in, until finally, they both realized exactly what and who they were staring at.

The pair stared in utter shock and at loss for words, mouths hanging agape. Sakura could only lift her hand to cover the bottom halve of her terrified face. Naruto pointed at the baby as he began to stutter, desperately trying to get his thought out. "N-n-no way! **NO WAY ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME THAT THAT'S S-SASUKE!**"

The child held awkwardly in Kakashi's hands was a bit terrified to say the least at the reaction of yet more strangers he didn't recognize. He started to shake and whimper and Kakashi could tell he was uncomfortable and a bit scared, which he could understand, seeing as how loud the blond was being. He had asked them not to overreact. He pulled the child back closer to his chest instinctively as Naruto shrieked out in horror and shock.

"Naruto. Not so loud. You're scaring him. Would you just calm down."

"W-What happened… to him." Sakura hardly got the words out as she attempted to get over her initial shock. Kakashi shook his head. "Who knows. We don't even know the culprit yet. There was a foreign scent in Sasuke's bedroom, where we found him like this, but it hasn't yet been identified."

"It just seems strange. Why not kill him or take him. I mean, doing this to him and then leaving? What good will that do them?"

"I have the same questions." Tsunade finally spoke up. "What ever their purpose, I believe that the culprit must have been short on time. There are jutsus that are not spontaneous in action. There can be a interval anywhere from minutes to hours. Turning Sasuke into a defenseless infant would make it easier to kill or capture him later. Whatever the purpose, we have reasons to believe that the intruder will be back for him now that he's in this state."

"So, we've gotta go catch the bad guys right!" Naruto said pounding one fist into the open palm of his other hand, eagerness and excitement brewing. "Wrong. You'll be assisting Kakashi who will be attending to and guarding Sasuke here at home. I'll be sending out multiple other teams for that."

Naruto face dropped, disappointed he wouldn't have a hand in catching whoever had done this to his friend. He let out an very audible grunt at the thought of babysitting. 'Babysitting. Pbbth. What does she think I am? A genin. Oh… right. I am a genin.' Naruto kept his thoughts to himself as Tsunade continued. "I'll also be sending out a team to investigate Sasuke's apartment further. For now Sasuke will be staying with you Kakashi. To help you out a bit, I'll send Shizune over with some baby supplies a little later. Sakura, like Naruto, I expect you to assist Kakashi. The three ninja nodded, fully understanding their commands.

"For now, the three… um, four of you are dismissed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\Xx Page Break xX /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sasuke gurgled softly as he sucked his balled fist. Gurgles, babbles, and all sorts of strange noises that Kakashi wasn't too familiar with elapsed from his rosy red lips. Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little as he looked down at the child in his arms. Sakura and Naruto walked close behind with curious eyes as they watched their teammate.

"So uhhh…now what do we do?"

"Well, Naruto. We follow Tsunade's orders. Training is, of course, cancelled today. I'll probably take Sasuke home and work on getting him settled in."

"Hey Kakashi, can I hold him. Just for a little while?" Sakura seemed more than just a little curious.

"Sure. He may cry a bit though. Give it your best shot." He began handing the small child over to the awaiting hands of his pink haired student.

Sakura accepted him graciously as Naruto rushed in, out of curiosity, to get a closer look himself. Surprisingly, he didn't cry in the least as he laid in Sakura arms, looking up at both her and Naruto.

"Well, isn't that surprising. He's been crying waterfalls all day." Kakashi added in, touch of amusement in his voice.

"Aww. I bet because they were poking you around everywhere. I bet you were just cranky, right Sasuke?" Sakura cooed the small child. Sasuke just continued to suck his drool covered fist, not really understanding a word.

"He wasn't cranky. That's just his personality. Remember." Naruto added in.

"Don't listen to him Sasuke." She cooed again as he shot an annoyed glare at Naruto.

"Hey c'mon. Let me hold 'im? Please, Sakura." Sakura complied and hesitantly handed the child over.

"Yeah, he may be cute now, but just wait till he's himself again. Hey, that gives me an idea, Kakashi sensei." Naruto had a devilish smile on his face. "Let's leave 'im like this. He's much easier to deal with, aren't you." He smiled down at Sasuke, who still had his fist inserted in his mouth. Sasuke suddenly pulled the saliva covered hand out and reached up towards the blond's face. He grabbed the first thing he could reach, which happened to be a lock of golden hair hanging from the side of Naruto's face, tugging harshly. It caught the blond off guard.

"Ow ouch. Geez, I was just kidding." Naruto struggled with the little tugging hand in his hair. Sasuke let out a cute giggle.

Kakashi chuckled as he grabbed the baby out of Naruto arms, helping to stop Sasuke from yanking on his poor head. Afterwards, Naruto promptly rubbed his sore scalp, playfully licking his tongue at the baby who was still in a uncontrollable fit of giggles.

"I better take you home before you pull Naruto's hair out. Besides, Shizune's bringing me some things over. I should be there."

"You need any help sensei." Naruto nodded his head in agreeing with Sakura's question.

"No Thank you Sakura, Naruto. Sasuke and I'll be fine. You should both relax for the rest of the day."

It wasn't long before Kakashi, along with his new small charge disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\Xx Page Break xX/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kakashi was now at the front door of his modest little house. He maneuvered the gurgling baby out of his arms and into an upright position with his chest laying against Kakashi's arm, and head resting on his guardian's shoulder.

Holding the child in one hand, he took his house keys and unlocked the front door with the other.

He walked through his house, flipping a few lights switches on the way, until he made it to his small bedroom in the back past the hall. He laid the baby on the gray bedspread, that covered the bed. Sasuke began to squirm and whimper a bit now that he was out of Kakashi's arms, so Kakashi sat down next to him. He watched Sasuke as he continued to twist his body, finally rolling himself onto his stomach with a bit of difficulty, but successful in the end regardless.

The next thing the child began to do surprised the jounin a bit. He began to crawl toward Kakashi, having a bit of trouble, but still making distance nonetheless. Kakashi couldn't really figure it out, but it amused and adored him to death. Why was watching a baby do such small feats so enjoyable? Kakashi could only wonder as the corner of his mouth arched in a small smile. After a bit of time Sasuke had made it over to Kakashi and actually lifted himself halfway into his lap. Kakashi chuckled lightly and had the impulse to clap at the child's accomplishment, but refrained himself.

"For someone who prefers to be alone so often, you're really enjoying the attention." Sasuke lifted his head up at Kakashi, his dark onyx eyes meeting Kakashi's black silver one. Sasuke's eyes held something that sort of trapped his sight there. They were so calm, gentle, and carefree. They were so familiar, yet strangely foreign. He had not known such a look from Sasuke before now. Kakashi supposed that Sasuke wasn't always so isolated and introverted, but like any other kid, innocent and wanting attention. Unfortunately, the world has a way of changing us sometime. Kakashi noticed the smile that had appeared on the toddler's face, his few front teeth showing. It was too cute. Kakashi pulled down his mask, smiling back just as widely, only Kakashi had many more teeth to show off.

Finally, Kakashi's attention reverted back to his bedroom, where he sighed deeply as he scanned the walls and furniture. "Well, it's not much, but this is it Sasuke. Your home for now, until Tsunade can change you back." Kakashi had a worried face as he looked down at his student and gently rubbed the top of his small soft head. "I'm sure Tsunade-sama's gonna find a way to help you." He smiled brightly at the child in his lap. "But until then, I promise that I'll protect you with my life. I'll be your protector, your guardian… your sentinel."

**-End.**

End of the chapter right there. So, how was it? I hope you all enjoyed it. Yeah, it was the first chapter that didn't have a Latin title. I felt that this title would go better however. It really connects the central idea, you know, the title of the story itself. Again, I'm sorry for not being able to respond to any of the reviews from last chapter. I truly appreciate them however and can only hope that you all continue to enjoy my story enough to review. See you guys next chapter.

Amaterasu333


	6. Inhabilis

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Yikes. It's been a little while, but finally, I'm here to deliver a chapter to you all. Thank you for waiting so patiently. Also, if you haven't noticed, I had no idea what to name this chapter. But the Chapter's title is not important. I'm starting to consider ditching the whole Latin thing all together. It's starting to become harder to think up good titles. Haha, but, I'm not too worried about that. I only hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review. Thank you.:)

**Previously:**

"Well, it's not much, but this is it Sasuke. Your home for now, until Tsunade can change you back." Kakashi had a worried face as he looked down at his student and gently rubbed the top of his small soft head. "I'm sure Tsunade-sama's gonna find a way to help you." He smiled brightly at the child in his lap. "But until then, I promise that I'll protect you with my life. I'll be your protector, your guardian… your sentinel."

* * *

**_Chapter 6 : Inhabilis_**

_

* * *

_

The small, fluffy, plush object danced in front of the child's eyes, almost mockingly. It's alluring tail swung from side to side. The little jingling bell sewn to it's neck chimed softly as it was energetically shifted from one position to the other. The dancing creature began to approach the child, as it had many times before already, getting close enough to get him excited all over again. And just when it was close enough, just in arms reach, Sasuke would grab for it, determination and excitement in his eyes, only to have the creature run away again. It would then be the way it started with the creature taunting him from a distance but getting closer. Instead of getting angry or frustrated as would be expected, the toddler could only giggle. He would laugh so hysterically hard that he would nearly topple over from his semi-balanced, upright position. He looked up after noticing the deeper and more composed laughter of his guardian, not understanding that he was the cause of both their amusement.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile and giggle at the child's laughter, as he moved Sasuke's new favorite toy back and forth between them. Shizune was kind enough to bring it along with some other supplies earlier, and every since then, it had been the center of the boy's attention. It was a cute little kitten with soft beige and white fur and a little bell that jingled every time it moved. Kakashi could see why Sasuke liked it so much. But finally, after some time of playing with Sasuke, he was getting a bit tired, and handed the toy over. Sasuke of course was even more overjoyed now that he had the object in his hands and began to chew on one of it's ears.

Aside from the occasional gurgle, babble, and giggle, the child was mostly very quiet and was satisfied as long as he was comfortable. In fact, he was almost too quiet for a baby.

"Can you say 'Cat,' Sasu-kun? Hmm?" Sasuke looked up from what he was doing for a second, curious as to what Kakashi was trying to tell him. "'Kitty cat'," he repeated slowly with the inclusion of 'kitty,' as if to help him understand better. Sasuke's curiosity lasted for only so long, and it soon turned back to the object in his mouth, deciding that whatever his guardian was saying wasn't as interesting. Kakashi wondered if he could say any words. He seemed old enough to at least have a few, but hard as he tried, he couldn't prompt the boy to say anything all day. It didn't matter Kakashi decided. He wasn't going to push too hard on it, not now anyway. Besides, Kakashi remained confident that Tsunade would change him back soon enough, so it really didn't matter. Kakashi shifted his attention to a window and realized how late it had gotten. The sun must have gone down almost an hour ago. Kakashi looked back down at Sasuke.

"It's getting pretty late. You must be tired by now, hm?" Sasuke was too busy playing with the cat to notice his guardian speaking this time. Kakashi was surprised by the energy Sasuke had. Whatever tiredness he had shown earlier had completely disappeared at some point and he had been pretty energetic throughout most of the day, keeping Kakashi quite busy. Kakashi decided now was as good a time as any to try and get Sasuke settled down and ready for his bedtime. Before anything, he knew that Sasuke was probably hungry. He hadn't eaten since Shizune fed him, showing Kakashi how to do it. And that was a few hours ago.

"C'mon Sasuke." He said as he grabbed the baby and stood up from their position on the sofa. "You must be hungry. Let's go eat dinner. Can you say 'dinner'"

* * *

Fifteen minutes had passed and Kakashi was now trying to force the child to eat. For some reason, he was being awfully stubborn. Well actually, Kakashi knew the reason. He was dealing with Sasuke, and it was probably as simple as that.

Kakashi was trying to be patient, but really, look what he had to work with. A messily opened jar of mashed squash, and a 1-1 ½ year old who managed to hold on to the stubbornness of his former 16 year old self. Shizune made it look so much easier. What the heck was her secret.

Sasuke's stuffed animal laid on the kitchen table, far out of Sasuke's longing reach. Kakashi didn't want the thing getting dirty, yet he knew this was probably a major cause of the child's irritation and unwillingness to cooperate. Kakashi understood that the toy was the only thing on the boy's mind, but right now, he had to eat.

"Alright," he stated as he tightened the bib around the boys neck ready to give it another go. "You have to at least try it." He said the words firmly, trying to make the boy understand. The directive words held no significance to Uchiha Sasuke, even in his current state, though if Kakashi didn't know better, he would be sure that the boy understood every word. He could have sworn the child even sneered once or twice.

He lifted the spoonful of reddish-orange mush and carried it toward the child's mouth. Sasuke, still reluctant to try the mash, pulled away, as if he was being poisoned and only began to cry out. It was like listening to him call for help.

"C'mon Sasu-kun. I know you're hungry." He tried reasoning gently and attempted to push the spoon into the little mouth, just to be avoided again, food smearing over his right cheek and dripping down his chin.

Kakashi tried a few times more before he got at least a little of it into his mouth. The baby's cries and whimpers died down as his mouth moved around, trying to recognize the taste. Kakashi watched, waiting for some sign of approval from the youngster. "See. Not so bad, right?" He tried for another spoonful and this time, the little raven accepted it willingly. He liked it. Kakashi smiled and mentally congratulated himself for finally getting his way with the small Uchiha. "Smooth sailing from here." he joyfully thought as he stuffed the child's mouth with more.

"You're going to be such a mess after this." Kakashi teasingly scolded Sasuke. The boy was covered in red and orange squash which contrasted strikingly against his porcelain face and white bib. "I guess that means your going to need a bath. Can you say 'bath' Sasuke?" Sasuke was too busy enjoying his food. Hopefully, getting Sasuke to bathe would be easier than getting him to eat. "One thing at a time." Kakashi muttered to himself.

* * *

Some time later and Kakashi was contemplating the temperature of the water. He was doing his best to simply follow all of Shizune's advice. She made it sound simply, but when it came right down to it, Kakashi was far too hesitant. Last thing he wanted was for the water to be too warm to Sasuke's sensitive skin. After some thought, his uncertainty passed and he finally sat the unwilling child in the tub. Kakashi held his hand firmly around the child's backside to prevent him from tipping over, though Sasuke was making it difficult for him. Sasuke didn't seem happy at all and began to kick his feet in the large bowl of water. He continued to struggle and audibly complained as Kakashi grabbed a soft flannel cloth and began to wipe the child's dirty face. He dampened the cloth with more water and applied a small amount of child-friendly soap and began to wash over the struggling and whining child as best he could.

"You're not making it easy." Kakashi grounded out over the water Sasuke was splashing with more and more force. His face was drenched as the toddler continued to thrash in the tub, sending water splashing everywhere. Drenching Sasuke's hair and applying a bit of baby shampoo, he opted to go a bit faster, trying to accomplish the task as quickly as possible.

Several more minutes of whining, grunting, and complaints, from both Sasuke and Kakashi, and the task was done. By the time he was through, halve the water that was once in the tub was either on the floor or soaked into Kakashi's clothes. Another mess Kakashi would have to clean up Kakashi thought as he walked out the bathroom needing the towel more than the child whom was wrapped tightly within his arms. He quickly dried the toddler and dressed him in a fresh diaper and some clean warm pajamas. After all of that, the toddler was fussier than ever, though only now would come what Kakashi believed would probably be the most difficult part. Getting him to sleep.

* * *

Sasuke was pretty cranky, so Kakashi took that as a sign that he was very tired indeed. Sasuke screamed and cried as Kakashi tried to rock him soothingly to bed. It wasn't working. Sasuke only seemed all the more irritated and cried louder and began to squirm uncomfortably. He hoped Sasuke hadn't soiled his diaper as soon as he was clean from a bath, not to mention, Kakashi wasn't ready to handle another of those. He had already had that experience enough times that day. He was relieved to find him still absolutely clean and unsoiled. What then was the problem? Kakashi wondered what he was doing wrong. Was he forgetting something.

Then it hit him. It was so obvious. It was after all the source of Sasuke's bad mood in the first place. Kakashi walked quickly to the kitchen, hoping to find the solution. Still lazily lying on the kitchen table was the stuffed animal Sasuke had quickly grown so fond of.

As soon as the bell stirred, it delivered a chime that instantly stopped Sasuke's frantic whimpering. He could recognize that sound anywhere. Sasuke looked up to find his toy waving in front of him. He let out a sound of excitement and joy while reaching for his toy eagerly with two stubby outstretched arms.

Kakashi grinned in relief as Sasuke grabbed hold of the furry object all the while giggling cheerfully, hugging it, as if it was a long lost friend. If Sasuke was happy, he was too. He knew right then and there that that thing would be a problem in the future. He prayed to God that it wouldn't get lost or destroyed somehow, or he would have to suffer Sasuke's wrath.

Right now wasn't the time to think about that though. It had gotten late and Sasuke had to get some sleep. It would be a busy day tomorrow. What tomorrow held was beyond him, but he would figure out something no matter what came along.

Kakashi made his way gingerly to the spare bedroom, that for the time being would be Sasuke's. There were all sorts of children's things that lined the walls and filled the drawers. From toys, to clothes, and most importantly right now, a nice sized crib. Kakashi would have to remember to thank Shizune about another dozen times for all of this.

Kakashi looked down in surprise to find Sasuke already asleep. He quietly and carefully lowered the little boy into his crib and covered him up tightly within the confines of the warm azure blanket. The toy was still tucked securely in his arms. The jaws of life couldn't save the thing from Sasuke's grip right now. Kakashi chuckled softly before patting the sleeping child on the head.

"Goodnight Sasuke. Sweet dreams." He whispered, giving one last glance at the sleeping child before closing the door.

It was a job successful in Kakashi opinion, maybe not well-done, but successful. He yawned, deciding that he'd get in bed early tonight, then he remembered the mess that awaited him in the kitchen and bathroom. The living room wasn't the cleanest either. He also had an overdue mission report… or two… and he hadn't started on either. His shoulders dropped in defeat. He still had work to do.

* * *

Kabuto had been watching from outside the entire day, catching what he could through the windows. He was easily hidden within the branches of the trees that surrounded the little residence. The glowing windows were soon no more than dark voids as he noted the lights flicker off. It wouldn't be much longer before he set his plan into action. He knew that it would be a bit tricky. He would have to employ a bit more strategy now that Kakashi was around, not that the other strategy, if it could be called one, really worked that well. He would have to be sneakier than that. More subtle. He smiled in wicked amusement as he had already formed a plan in his mind.

"You will belong to Orochimaru-Sama, Sasuke. Your Sensei won't be able to save or protect you for long."

* * *

**-End**

Wooow!. It's been too long since I updated. When I first started this story, I was very optimistic that I could and would update on a very set schedule. So much for that. You know, I thought I had it all figured out, but as I wrote, I realized there were better ways of telling the story and ways to make it more interesting. Then, the structure of the story started changing, and now here I am, sort of planning as I go. I still have the general plot in mind, however, so I'm not so worried. That not the biggest cause in making me take so long though. It had a lot to due with ending semesters and starting anew. Just too stressed and busy to focus on my writing. I'm very sorry for the long wait. I wish I could promise to update on schedule from here on out, but I don't think I will promise, just in case lol. I will update though, and would tell you guys if I ever decided against continuing this story. Don't worry, I will continue the story. I'm just making a point. I'm not going to abandon you guys…without a warning. :p

On a positive note, I actually plan on updating with Chapter 7 very soon after this one if I can find the time to write and finish it up, hopefully making up with you guys for the long wait.

I know this chapter isn't so interesting until the end, but next chapter will be a bit more intense. Anyway, I still hope you enjoyed it, and hope you will review. Review are a great motivator, not that I expect five reviews for every chapter, but it's always feels great to get feedback to know if my story is doing well or needs improvement. So please review. It would be very appreciated.:)

-Amaterasu333

Note:

** Inhabilis**

** Latin**

** Etymology**

**In ( not) + habilis (ability to handle easily)**

** Literal meaning: Not able to handle or manage with ease**

**Inability to control/Unmanageable.**


	7. Impersona

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Haha. You guys thought I wouldn't actually update did you. Just like I said, here is chapter 7.:) I'm don't really have much to say other than that and that I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Previously:**

Kabuto had been watching from outside the entire day, catching what he could through the windows. He was easily hidden within the branches of the trees that surrounded the little residence. The glowing windows were soon no more than dark voids as he noted the lights flicker off. It wouldn't be much longer before he set his plan into action. He knew that it would be a bit tricky. He would have to employ a bit more strategy now that Kakashi was around, not that the other strategy, if it could be called one, really worked that well. He would have to be sneakier than that. More subtle. He smiled in wicked amusement as he had already formed a plan in his mind.

"You will belong to Orochimaru-Sama, Sasuke. Your Sensei won't be able to save or protect you for long."

* * *

_Chapter 7: Impersona_

_

* * *

_

**THUMP THUMP!**

Kakashi's eyes opened tiredly from the sudden noise that seemed to vibrate and pierce the walls. What was that? He asked himself, still in his half-asleep stupor. His eyes began to fall back into their previous position before he heard the noise again. This time it fully awoke him and he set up quickly.

**THUMP THUMP THUMP!**

It sounded more frantic and even louder than before. Kakashi knew it wasn't his imagination. Was that his front door? He groaned tiredly and lazily pulled himself from the warm comforters and hurried out of his room, down the hall, and towards the front door.

**THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!**

The loud banging came again. "I'm c'mon. I'm c'mon." Kakashi grunted out quite annoyed. Jeez he had a doorbell. Was all the banging really necessary. He opened the door slowly trying to see who it was at this time of night, waking him from his sleep. He was surprised to see that it was the Hokage and her assistant. His annoyed face straightened up instantly, not wanting to unwillingly show any disrespect. Kakashi opened the door completely now, unable to mask a surprised look on his face.

"Tsunade-Sama, Shizune-San?" He bowed politely, "What are you two doing here? Is someth-"

"It's about Sasuke." The blond interrupted. "I need to check him immediately." She said with a very serious expression. Kakashi's brows furrowed in worry.

* * *

Kakashi flipped on the lamp of the bedroom he had hastily led the two visitors to. "Is s-something wrong?" Kakashi asked perplexed by the Hokage's behavior. Tsunade didn't utter a word as she hurried to the child's crib where he still lay asleep. She placed a hand on the child's head, her hand emitting an eerie purple rather than the usual green Kakashi was used to seeing from her. Kakashi looked on in worry, a strange sense of anxiety rising in his chest. There was something about the whole situation extremely nerve-racking. From Tsunade's actions to the spine-schilling feeling that arose from the thought of Shizune, who was unusually quiet, lurking behind his back. For a moment he took his eyes off of Tsunade to turn and look at her. She offered a slight smile, but never made eye contact. Kakashi was about to question Shizune about what was going on, but the Hokage spoke.

"Just as I thought."

"Wha-what's wrong? What is this all about?" Kakashi questioned anxiously. The woman lifted the child out of his crib, affectively stirring him from his sleep, as she responded. "I'm sorry Kakashi-San, but I'm going to have to take Sasuke with me."

"What? Why?" The feeling in Kakashi chest was tightening. "What do you mean you're going to have to take him?" He asked again, watching as Shizune walked over to retrieve the now whimpering child.

"I've discovered the secret of the jutsu that's done this to him. It could seriously harm him, Kakashi, and I'm worried about his wellbeing here. We're going to have to keep a closer eye on him. It's best that he comes with me."

Kakashi was horrified by the thought of something being wrong with Sasuke, but at the same time, that explanation left him feeling bemused. He understood every word Tsunade said, but something about it all seemed…strange. Tsunade was a professional, but she was also sincere in her words. At that moment, she seemed artificial, as if it was a speech that had been planned out beforehand. Something about it just seemed fake. Was she hiding her true intentions.

"But… a-are you su-… I mean… h-he looks fine." Kakashi stuttered out his words not wanting to show any impertinence. He still felt that something was strangely off and it was starting eat away at his chest. He hadn't even noticed how fast his heart was beating or the beads of nervous perspiration collecting on his forehead. What he was aware of was his highly refined shinobi instincts telling him that something was off by miles.

"I strongly disbelieve you have the medical license to question me." By this time, Kakashi could only stare, his jaw hanging out of shock and an incapacity to take in the situation. "Now then," She paused before turning to Shizune. "Please, take Sasuke immediately back to my office. I must remain behind to speak further with Kakashi."

Shizune simply bowed in respect as she moved to take the boy.

Kakashi watched the two from his position to the side of the door. There it struck him. His instincts went ablaze, and he couldn't ignore his disquiet any longer. The wicked glint, hardly noticeable in Tsunade's eyes as she looked at Shizune and nodded.

Shizune began to walk in his direction, toward the only entrance and exit to the room. Sasuke on the other hand was becoming very irritated and uncomfortable. His whimpers had long since become a loud wail and flurry of tears. It was as if even he could sense that something was wrong.

Without warning Kakashi rushed at Shizune, snatching Sasuke roughly from her hands, leaving the woman in shock. Sasuke, sensing that he was now in the warm embrace of his guardians arms, wrapped his tiny fingers around the fabric of Kakashi's shirt, as if begging to be protected. "Why don't I just come along. Tsunade can explain on the way, right Tsunade-Sama?" He gave a false smile in the blonds' direction. No way was he letting them take him.

"What are you doing! Hand Sasuke back over to her at once!" The blond said, seeming infuriated by Kakashi's impulsive action.

"No." He said simply.

"Kakashi, this is very important and it's an order from your hoka-"

"**NO**!" Kakashi said boldly, his tone suddenly stern and hard. To hell with impudence. He was pretty sure his gut was telling him right anyway. These people weren't his friends. This woman…she wasn't his superior.

"What has gotten into you Hatake! You're putting your student's life at risk!"

The statement had no affect on the man. He wasn't being fooled. The more he looked at these people, the less he recognized them. Sure, they looked just the same, but the aura that came from them was too foreign. It was undisputable in Kakashi's head. Whoever these people were, they had ulterior motives and weren't who they appeared or pretended to be.

"Neither of you,…" He accused, taking a few steps away from the women. "you're not the Hokage… or Shizune."

There was a moment of deadly silence between the three as they stared at one another. Suddenly an ugly, malicious smile cracked Tsunade's lips. She, or rather he, had already been found out.

"Can't get anything past you can I."

"Who the hell are? What do you want with Sasuke?" Kakashi knew that's what these two were after. He had already put two and two together and figured they were here to finish what they had started. Whether they wanted the boy, or wanted him dead, Kakashi wasn't going to let that happen.

"I could explain, but I rather not drabble. I've got a deadline to keep after all. Why not make this easy for the both of us and hand the little burden over?" The blond's voice held venom as she said those words.

"Over my dead body!"

"My pleasure!" The blond imposter screamed as she launched at Kakashi, pulling a recently sharpened scalpel from her sleeve. The speed was a bit surprising, but Kakashi was no where near caught of guard. He easily maneuvered himself out of the way of the incoming blade. A soft thump was heard as the blade swished through the air and hit a wall. Kakashi delivered a quick kick to the woman's side before she had time to react, knocking her hard against the adjacent wall. Kakashi was ahead in the speed department, but he was still very handicapped. He had very limited use of his arms with the baby in them and Kakashi knew that. He looked down at the confused child, noticing the mild whimpering and his tight grip around Kakashi's clothes. Sasuke definitely sensed the threat surrounding him and almost seemed afraid. Kakashi's hold around Sasuke tightened in a protecting manner. He looked to the side noticing the absents of the brunette. He cursed under his breath. Where did she go? He hadn't even noticed.

"Nice move, Kakashi," the blond responded after the exchange of blows, still gripping her side. "…but we both know that you can only move so well with that bother in your arms. You can't keep that up forever." She began walking, rather calmly toward him. Kakashi knew this person was right. He couldn't keep this up, so instead of fighting directly, he turned on his heels and headed out the door and into the hallway rather quickly. If he could gain some distance, he would have a little extra time to form a jutsu while balancing the child in his arms, or better yet, maybe he could escape the house altogether. That hope was quickly dashed. By the time he had made it to the living room, he noticed the brunette imposter posted in the way of his front door. That hadn't surprised the silver haired man a bit. Of course they would have planned for him to try and escape.

Shizune now rushed forward, towards him as Tsunade surely approached from behind. Opting to balance Sasuke in one arm, he whipped out a quick kunai concealed within one of his pockets. Kakashi dashed to his side, avoiding the incoming punch from Shizune. He attempted the tactic used on the Tsunade, countering directly after her attack with his kunai, but somehow she easily avoided it. Her body curved with no difficulty around Kakashi's outstretched arm, and now she delivered her own counter, succeeding in grazing Kakashi's cheek with a punch.

He was pushed backward into Tsunade's path who was heading directly towards him with the scalpel from earlier. Kakashi was somehow able to gain his footing again. Turning quickly, he blocked the incoming blade with his kunai. Their blades pushed against each other, fighting for dominance over the other. It was a stalemate, but not for long.

The blond still had one hand free, while Kakashi's was painfully confined. That free hand suddenly glowed a purplish red, and was sent flying into Kakashi's side before he could react. He howled in agony as a sharp pain hit his side and traveled throughout the rest of his core. The impact made him drop his kunai, and he fell back, nearly completely loosing his balance. His free hand gripped his side as the other held Sasuke even tighter, not wanting to lose his hold. The pain was harsh, but he didn't have time to lick his wounds. The brunette was already on his tail again. It was apparently her time to attack again.

Kakashi thought quickly as he looked for a way to dodge or counter. The answer soon came to him in the form of his small end table that now laid carelessly on it's side from the fighting. He projected his aim quickly, and kicked it. It slid easily and swiftly across his smooth wooden floor and caught Shizune of guard, effectively making her trip, hitting her front harshly against the hard floor. Tsunade rushed toward him, but Kakashi managed to dodged. Now the two had switched places in the living room, and Kakashi took this as his chance to run.

He had accepted that he wouldn't be getting out the front so easily so he headed back towards the hallway and made a sharp turn, heading in the direction this entire conflict started. The two assailants quickly recomposed themselves and ran after. Before they caught up, Kakashi made another sharp turn into a room and shut the door behind him. He was in his own room now. It was where the majority of his weapons were stored.

He quickly and rather harshly dumped Sasuke on his bed. He felt bad and wished he could be more gentle, but now wasn't the time. His hands freed, he formed a bunch of hand signs as quickly as possible. "Faster… faster." He muttered in-between heavy breaths as he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching.

Finally the string of seals were complete and he threw his hands against the door. A blue chakra traveled from his hands and over the door and it's frame. It continued to spread over the walls in a vine-like pattern, until finally, it was finished, and nothing remained but the black outline of what was once the stream of chakra. It was a sealing technique. A sort of barrier, but it would only hold for so long. He heard harsh banging on the other side of the door and knew he didn't have much time left. He would have to work quickly.

* * *

On the other side, the two impersonators threw wild attacks at the door, trying desperately to break through. The blond had already figured it was a barrier jutsu, but it wouldn't be able to hold her back for long. Forming her own series of hand signs, her hand glowed. She pressed her hands against the door forcing her chakra through it. She could feel the will of the other's chakra bending and breaking underneath the influence of her own. After several minutes, she released one last burst of chakra throughout the walls. She could feel the barrier on the other side break at her will.

Now the two forced their way in, finding the Jounin. Kakashi's back was to them but he turned around as if only now noticing the two. Tsunade noticed that there was nothing in his arms. "Where's the brat. Damn." she said mentally. Kakashi was hiding him obviously. The blond woman knew something else was unordinary. The jounin wouldn't spend the extra time he had managed just standing there. He had to have something else up his sleeve besides just hiding Sasuke, and the woman wasn't going to fall for something so obvious. Kakashi would have to make the first move. She smirked shrewdly.

Unfortunately for her, her cleverness would not reach her partner. Suddenly, without preparation, thought, or any warning whatsoever, Shizune launched at the grey-haired man. The blond was appalled to say the least. "What are you doing! You idiot." But it was too late. The brunette threw her hand roughly around Kakashi's neck, ready to savagely strangle the life out of him, but not before she got the location of the target. The impact between the two was so violent that Kakashi back hit the wall behind him. He seemed cornered, with no way of possibly escaping the violent grip around his neck. Why then, did he look so entertained, a familiar expression of amusement curving his eyes.

Neither of the women had noticed the array of strings he gripped tightly in both hands. He gave a sharp tug from both hands, setting off a domino affect. Stings and wires revealed themselves from various hiding places. They drew from in-between the floorboards, peeled from the walls, rose from between the bookcases, and pulled themselves from the ceiling, encasing them in a chain prison of explosive tags that hung down from the wires. It was a trap, and both enemies had walked right into it.

"Shit" the blond muttered as she noticed even the doorway behind her had been criss-crossed with explosive wires. The windows as well were sealed. Perspiration began to slide down her face. One wrong step. The smallest disturbance of just one of these wires could set off a deadly chain reaction.

"I…I underestimated you, Hatake Kakashi." The blond stuttered, not quite able to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Yes. You did…" It had been the first words out of the man's mouth since they entered the room, and unlike before, it held so much more malice, yet, it was frightfully calm. After a pause, he continued. "…and, unfortunately for you, your carelessness and failure to understand my willingness to protect my students… will be your undoing." Both women eyes widened as his gripped tightened on the wires.

"Sayonara." Was the last word they heard uttered from the man's mouth, before he gave one last sudden pull. That final tug set of an massive explosion that shook much of Konoha to it's core. No way could the shaking and the fierce, fiery roar have gone unnoticed. Flames blasted through windows. several walls and a large part of the ceiling went flying in all direction, landing on the ground as hot, smoking cinders. The flames covered the remaining walls and floor, and pretty soon, half of the house was engulfed, releasing massive billows of angry red and burgundy smoke. It would have been nearly impossible for anyone to escape the flames.

-End

* * *

Hahaaa. who doesn't enjoy explosions. Poor Kakashi *sniff*. I can't imagine anyone making it out of there alive :''(. Kakashi fans must be devastated :p. I'm sure most if not all of you are aware of whose behind the fakes. If not, then next chapter will clarily. As for the fate of Sasuke, Kakashi, and these two imposters, you'll all have to wait for the next chapter. I love leaving cliffhangers. I know how mad, yet excited they tend to make people. Not sure when chapter 8 will be out. School is getting intense again. Got work to catch up on, and a lot more coming in, through the next couple of weeks *sigh*. I'll have it out as soon as I can though. I don't want to leave this chapter hanging.:)

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As for me, I'm not very confident. I can't imagine fight scenes being my thing, but I put a lot of effort into it. I would love some feedack on this chapter in particular. Reviews would be very appreciated. Thank you all for reading.:)

-Note

**Impersona**

**Latin**

**Etymology**

**In (Im when next to a "p") + persona (mask worn by acter or character)**

**Loose meaning: false face or false identity used to play a part. (In other words, and actor.)**

**impersonator, imposter **

-Note#2: I'm not an expert on latin, just so everyone knows lol. :) In fact, I know very little. It's not uncommon for me to get a little help from google. Wanted to make sure I threw that out there.


	8. Tribulatus

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hey guys. Here with Chapter 8. Thank you all for the wonderful review last chapter. You guys don't know how much I appreciate those. I don't have too much to say before the chapter except for one thing. God bless everyone going through the disaster in Japan right now. I was heartbroken when I turned on the new to see it. :( I just wanted to mention that.

I hope you enjoy the Chapter. It's a pretty long one this time.:)

**Previously: **"Sayonara." Was the last word they heard uttered from the man's mouth, before he gave one last sudden pull. That final tug set of an massive explosion that shook much of Konoha to it's core. No way could the shaking and the fierce, fiery roar have gone unnoticed. Flames blasted through windows. several walls and a large part of the ceiling went flying in all direction, landing on the ground as hot, smoking cinders. The flames covered the remaining walls and floor, and pretty soon, half of the house was engulfed, releasing massive billows of angry red and burgundy smoke. It would have been nearly impossible for anyone to escape the flames.

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Chapter 8: _Tribulatus_

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Tsunade could feel her eyes getting heavier as the night, and the work persisted on. As if she didn't have enough missions to approve and reports to read over, she had been busy all day looking for the answer to the most recent predicament to befall the village. The sudden physical digression of a certain Uchiha. She cringed at the thought of news of the incident getting out. The panic that would ensue. She was determined to solve the problem before it got that far, but right now, she was finding it hard to concentrate. Shizune seemed equally tired as she stood looking dreamily out the window. It was a beautiful night and Konoha looked as lively as ever from where Shizune was standing.

"Tsunade-Sama. It been a long day. Why don't we call it a night." Shizune said as cheerfully as possible. Tsunade was really considering taking Shizune's advice as she leaned heavily into the back of her chair giving off an exhausted sigh. She was about to answer when she heard a knock at her office door.

"Come in." She responded tiredly after another yawn. She seemed pleased as she easily recognized the man who came through the door, although his face was covered by an animal mask. One of her most trusted Anbu.

The man bowed politely. "Tsunade-Sama. I've returned from my mission."

"Ahh Yamato-San. Nice to see you home safely." Tsunade responded warmly. "Thank you for your hard work."

The man removed his mask revealing his usual friendly face. "Of course. My pleasure Lady-Tsunade. I hope things haven't been too hectic while I was gone." He said jokingly.

"Well… hectic could describe it." Tsunade's face dropped as her warm expression was replaced with a tired one.

"Oh… Is everything okay?"

"Team seven… as usual."

"Kakashi's team? Uh oh. What now?" Yamato sweared. Everything that happened in this village seemed to revolve around that team, particularly two certain members of the group. "Sasuke and Orochimaru, or Naruto and Akatsuki?" Yamato responded jokingly, but equally serious. Really, it had to be one or the other.

Tsunade couldn't help but smirk. She knew what Yamato was getting at. "Apparently, it's Sasuke's turn."

"Really. What's going on. Is he okay?" Yamato was a close friend of Kakashi's, so it was only natural that he had come to know all his students very well. He had even had the opportunity to train them a few times. He had come to care about their wellbeing very much.

"Well, h-"

Her speech was cut short when a loud boom erupted through the night, sending shivers through the floor. Her windows shuddered and she felt vibration reach her feet. It took the three by surprise.

"An earthquake?" Tsunade questioned aloud.

"Sounded more like an explosion." Yamato corrected.

"Tsunade-Sama!" Shizune held a hand up to her mouth out of surprise from what she saw. Tsunade and Yamato rushed to the window Shizune had been viewing out, seeing the same sight. A plume of smoke rose from a small corner of the village. It was indeed an explosion, and it look like a fire had resulted. Tsunade wondered what idiot probably blew their house up being careless.

"Hmmm. Kakashi San's house is around that area. I hope he's okay." Yamato said, slight concern etching his voice.

The words sunk into Tsunade's head as she measured the probability, and with all that had happened in the last 12 hours, the prospect seemed… high. "Shit…" What if 'they' had come to finish the job. Shizune seemed to have the same realization.

"Tsunade-Sama… you don't think… that maybe…"

There was a moment of silence as Yamato looked at the two female, curious as to what was going through their minds. He had the slightest idea what was going on, but judging from the Hokage's serious expression, things weren't well.

* * *

A black vortex appearing like a swirl, writhing within the confines of nothing but the space the open air provided, spinning and emitting a empty essence. It appeared out of nowhere, breaking the laws of nature, space, and gravity, but it existed nonetheless. It could only be the product of a space/time jutsu. And from the confines of this very unnatural phenomenon, Kakashi himself emerged along with the delicate bundle he held in his arms. He dropped from the void onto one knee panting, completely out of breath and exhausted. His left eye was freed from the cloth that usually hung down loosely enough to cover it, revealing the signature red and black markings of the Sharingan… the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Looking behind him, he was surprised to see the condition of his house. A huge portion of an entire corner had simply been blown away, and the rest was quickly being consumed by the angry roaring flames. At least half the house was already one huge conflagration. But what should he have expected with all that firepower. Kakashi though that maybe he overdid it with the explosive tags a little. He managed to look down at the toddler in his arms who now seemed completely oblivious to what had just happened. A few curious gurgles escaped his mouth as he looked up at the exhausted Kakashi. "Heh. Close one, eh Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi joked to the young boy in-between his heavy breaths. He really couldn't help but smile triumphantly as he recalled the moments leading up to the ignition of his unfortunate abode.

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Flashback

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Kakashi had hurried into the small bedroom quickly shutting the door behind him, and then creating a barrier that would give him some much needed time. He knew that he was limited in resources but he could make do with what he had. It's not always the weapon that bring a enemy down, it is often time the ingenuity that is enacted through them. In this case, the enemies didn't look all too bright, or at least one of them didn't. The brunette, Kakashi noticed, was far too careless in her actions. That could possibly be both their downfall.

Kakashi was brought back to earth as he heard the forceful hits barraging the door from the other side. He knew that the barrier wouldn't last long enough, so he did the only thing he knew to. Reaching for his headband. He pulled it up in alignment with his forehead, revealing his trump card. Unlike most cases, he wouldn't be fighting directly with it.

"Mangekyou Sharingan" He called out loud, igniting an almost mechanical-like rotation of the signature black pattern of his particular Mangekyou. The Kekkei Genkai had been activated and Kakashi knew he now had a chance. Time seemed to stand still as he looked at his surrounding. Not a *tick* sounded from his small desk clock. It's second hand had ceased to move any longer. He could hear no banging at the door. He looked behind even to find Sasuke completely still… frozen in time. It was as if the earth had stopped rotating, and Kakashi was the only one allowed to progress. The amazing abilities of the Mangekyou Sharing was not that time stood still, but that for a short period, Kakashi had the ability to move at incredible speeds, physically, and psychologically. But it would only last for so long and he couldn't just stand there marveling at how everything seemed to be going slow. He had to act now.

The rest of the task had been fairly simply. Grabbing the most basic of ninja weaponry, he constructed his wired trap in a matter of seconds in what would have usually taken him 10 minute at the very least. But now the affects of his Mangekyou were beginning to wear off and the ticking of the clock could clearly be heard every ten seconds instead of twenty, and then every five seconds. The thumping of the door became rapid again, and the child's arms flailed around once more. As the jutsu came to an end, he preformed the last bit of his plan. The deception, and the escape.

He quickly summoned up a shadow clone, attaching a variation of wires and strings to his arms. The clone itself would be the trigger as well as the deception that Kakashi could only hope would trick the two adversaries. Just as time began to move at a normal pace again, he grabbed the child, and used one last technique that had been passed to him with the Sharingan. It would be him and Sasuke's only means of escape. "Mangekyou Sharingan." He uttered the words again, creating an alteration in the space of reality, drawing both him and the child within a dark transporting void.

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End Flashback

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And here they are now, only seconds after the explosion it appeared. "Thank you… again…Obito." Kakashi muttered. It wasn't the first time the gift from his friend had gotten him out of trouble, and it wouldn't be the last, that much he was sure of. As he looked at the devastating damage, he knew that it wasn't likely that the imposters survived. On hindsight, it wasn't the best idea to go for the kill. Those two would have had a lot of information. It would have been good to interrogate them. Maybe he could have gotten some answers for once or possibly even saved his student from his current state. But what was done was done.

A sharp pain pulsated from Kakashi's left eye, shooting to the back of his head and back, making him instinctively grab it in a vain attempt to relieve the misery. It didn't help, but Kakashi decided to at least slide his headband back over his eye, keeping it from eating up anymore of his chakra. He had already used up an large amount.

He didn't have time to rest any longer. He needed to get back on his feet and see the real Tsunade immediately. He stood up slowly, feeling very drained, and began to make his way from the burning rubble that had once been his house. He had hardly limped a few steps before he was engulfed in an excruciating pain that resonated through his body. He fell back to his knees, struggling to hold his weight.

"Shit. This isn't the affect of the Sharingan." He grasp tightly to his side, where the pain seemed to originate before traveling to the rest of his body. He thought back to that moment, when his kunai and Tsunade's scalpel where locked. He was distracted, and that when he had been hit with that attack to his side. Her hands were glowing at that moment. "That jutsu. It must have been some sort of medical ninjutsu."

His body was completely locking up on him, like some sort of paralysis. He couldn't move a muscle. Kakashi was having a hard time holding himself, and Sasuke was beginning to feel heavy in his arms. He was glad he was so close to the ground, because Sasuke began to squirm, feeling uncomfortable, and wriggled out of his weak grip. It couldn't really be called a fall, but Sasuke was upset when he hit the ground anyway. He wasn't really crying, but rather quite obviously fussing, probably at Kakashi. He couldn't blame Sasuke for being upset. Kakashi was feeling cranky himself. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

Kakashi was still struggling to balance his weight over his numbing arms and legs when a horrifying crashing noise came over his shoulder. From within the burning mess. 'Tsunade' had burst out. Seemingly using what chakra she had left. Kakashi was horrified. Things had just gotten worse. She emerged, bearing the unmistakable burns caused from the explosion, though she was well enough to stand, apparently. How she could escape was beyond Kakashi's understanding. She should have been dead. He tried to move again, but nothing happened. His limbs could only tremble as he tried to pull them up. Alarms were firing in Kakashi head, as he realized the situation he was in. "Damn."

Another crash was heard seconds later. It was 'Shizune', but Kakashi quickly realize he had no cause for concern. She had survived the initial explosion somehow, but the flames would finish her, as if the gaping wounds weren't enough. They engulfed her entire body and her useless attempts to extinguish them only made it worse. Flailing her arms in panic, she was only fanning the flames, intensifying their wrath. She finally fell to the ground, though still squirming and hissing. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke around her. It settled to reveal a snake still arched in pain and hissing, until another puff of smoke told Kakashi that the creature had been dismissed completely.

"A snake summoning?" Kakashi was surprised but looking back, he remembered how unusual this one had acted. She moved unnaturally, and was unbelievably limber. She never spoke, and seemed quite oblivious to the ways of human combat, opting to strike quickly with untrained arms rather than precise strikes.

"Idiot. I couldn't manage to save the beast from it's own stupidity. It brought it on itself." It was the other who had spoken. Kakashi reveled in the fact that it sounded pained, but what really caught Kakashi's attention the most was that the voice was now deep revealing a masculine tone. It wasn't that of Tsunade's anymore, but it still sounded too familiar.

"That was cleaver Kakashi, but I have my own methods of escape." 'Well obviously' Kakashi thought bitterly. The enemy lifted his arms, putting his hands together and uttering a release. Layers of skin pealed away, shedding off the false façade and revealing his true identity.

"Yakushi Kabuto." Kakashi exhaled. "Somewhat expected I guess. I had a feeling Orochimaru had something to do with… this." He motioned toward Sasuke, pointing out his current condition. "I guess he's counting on his pawn to do all the work." Kakashi finished coldly, emphasizing the word "pawn".

A sick smile surfaced through Kabuto's pained expression. "Heh. I don't think you're in any position to talk right now Hatake. Your body can't handle another Sharingan technique, and my jutsu is taking affect. Your back is up against a wall, so I would consider speaking a little nicer to me. I may let you be one of my research specimen, instead of killing you." His sick smile widened. Kakashi knew that Kabuto was right, though. He was trapped liked an animal. "You don't stand a chance of protecting Sasuke-kun now."

"Both you and Orochimaru are sick bastards." Kakashi hissed. "What does Orochimaru plan to gain by doing this anyhow? How could putting him in this state, possibly benefit him?" Kakashi couldn't hold back the urge to ask. Kabuto looked at the man, contemplating his response. He figured there was no harm in giving the man a straight answer, considering he was about the kill him anyway.

"Orochimaru-Sama is very persevering. When he sets his mind to something, there's not much use in trying to dissuade him. He could never give up the ultimate vessel, one of his most ambitious goals, but…" Kakashi waited patiently, as Kabuto found the right words. "But that… 'will of fire,' as you like to call it, kept him from achieving this goal. The Uchiha was no longer interested in power, because he had it set in his mind that he no longer needed it. I guess I can thank you, Hatake Kakashi, and probably that damned Uzumaki kid as well for that."

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at this. "I see. But I already know about Orochimaru's twisted goals. That doesn't explain how changing him into a defenseless child, who hasn't even began to unlock his Sharingan, will get him anywhere?"

"The curse mark was a crucial component to Orochimaru's plans. The curse mark is more than a power that he gave to Sasuke. The mark of heaven was his gateway to obtaining his body. You see, it's the first step of the body transfer jutsu. He could still never perform the jutsu unless the curse mark reached it's full capabilities, and the only way to do that was feed it with the hatred that Sasuke once possessed. Because of his dieing hatred and malice, the seal became weak. It was the only reason Tsunade was about to break it. Orochimaru no longer had any means of getting the Uchiha vessel,… until now." Kakashi continued to listen, still not seeing the point. Kabuto shook his head at the man's beleaguering ignorance.

"You still don't get it, do you? Without the seal, the Uchiha's body is unobtainable. Without hatred, the seal can't reach it's full potential. Orochimaru will be the one change that however, by instilling that hate in him himself, and finally, Sasuke will become, or rather grow up to be, the perfect vessel, even better than what Kimimaro would have been, if not for his untimely death." Kakashi's visible eye widened in realization.

"You finally understand? Once, the Uchiha's mind was like an empty canvas. Anyone could make their mark on it, but Orochimaru-Sama failed in doing so before Konoha. There was only one way to obtain Sasuke-kuns body. To wipe the canvas clean and start anew. Through Orochimaru-Sama's guidance, he will grow up to be the perfect recipient for the seal, and in time, Orochimaru-Sama will have the body he's always wanted."

"T-That's completely insane… and sick! I won't let that happen!" The thought of that cursed snake getting his hands on Sasuke made Kakashi's blood boil. He wouldn't let Sasuke be raised by that sick monster just to be used.

"Say whatever makes you feel better. You've already lost. Kabuto began to stagger towards Kakashi. The burns was taking their toll, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. "Now, I can fulfill my mission, and Orochimaru-Sama's dream. The brat is mine."

Kakashi was in a panic. He couldn't let Kabuto take the boy. He wouldn't dare just sit there and let Kabuto snatch his student, literally right from underneath him. Kakashi pumped every last bit of Chakra he had left, trying to urge his muscles to move. They only began to shake uncontrollably, but he kept trying. "Shit. C'mon. Move… Move!" Kabuto was still steadily approaching. His injuries wouldn't allow him to move more that a couple feet at a time, but he figured the paralyzed ninja wasn't going anywhere.

Kakashi was still struggling, muscles trembling violently underneath his weight. His limbs and arms were actually starting to bulge a little, but his success didn't last long. A sharp pain suddenly grasp his chest, making his body crumple over Sasuke in pain. He let out a grunt of pain, as the sharpness increased.

"That jutsu isn't simply a paralyses jutsu. It affects the muscles… all muscles. The arms and legs are always the first to suffer, but they're not the last."

Kakashi could barely think about what the young man had said, but he soon figured it out. His heart. The most important muscle, the cardiac, would succumb to the jutsu eventually as well. He could already feel it. His heart struggling. It's rhythm was abnormally fast and his respiration was also suffering as he felt his breathing become labored and heavy. He let out another moan of pain when he tried to move again. His body just wouldn't allow him to get up. His face twisted in the agony. His chest was hurting badly, and the pressure in his chest started to feel heavier by the second, making his breathing even more labored.

"You might as well give up Kakashi. It's over… and you know it." The voice was right above him now. Even though Kakashi's head was facing the earth, he knew Kabuto was directly to the side of him. He could feel his presence lingering menacingly, and saw the shadow that wavered over. Kabuto, however slow, had managed to limp himself to the agonized man, and Kakashi was a sitting duck, able to do nothing.

His muscles were growing even weaker and he used up nearly the very last of his chakra. The minuscule amount he had left was struggling to keep Kakashi's heavy, numb body from falling on the poor oblivious boy who laid beneath the weak shinobi. But, as Kakashi looked closer, he actually began to wonder just how much Sasuke understood. Of course, he couldn't possibly know the danger he was in, but that look in his innocent Onyx eyes made Kakashi's chest hurt more. He couldn't quite decipher it. He looked directly into Kakashi face, as if waiting for his Sensei to do something… anything. But he couldn't. He couldn't protect Sasuke anymore. He failed… just as he had with his former team all those years ago.

"I-I'm sorry Sasuke." There was another painful tug at his chest. Maybe from the jutsu, or maybe not… "Please… f-forgive me." He whispered the shaky words quietly to the boy, and was surprised to notice the warm tears flowing from his eyes and soaking into his mask. He couldn't remember the last time he cried in the battlefield. He had been much closer to death, in the midst of the most dangerous deadly criminals, and hadn't the slightest impulse to shed a tear during any battle. But now was different. For some reason, he couldn't hold back the tears. Sasuke gurgled and whimpered restlessly, almost sounding worried.

He looked at Sasuke for what he felt would probably be the last, giving one last apology.

"I'm Sorry."

-End

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It seems Kakashi's not quite out of danger, and now he's in a real predicament. Kabuto's surely preparing his final blow. What will happen to Kakashi and Sasuke? Next time, the conclusion to this conflict. Heh. That was a long chapter,… for me anyway. I think it's the longest I've ever written. There was a lot to write before I decided the best place to end it. I hope you all enjoyed it. Reviews would be very appreciated. Thank you all for reading.

-Amaterasu333

Just wanted to mention a few points about this chapter here.

1. A couple of you already sort of guessed Orochimaru's plan, and in this chapter, it was finally revealed. Kind of weird right, I know haha. To those who figured it out, good job.

2. The whole bit about needing the curse seal to perform the body transfer was made up. I don't think that served much of a purpose besides giving the host power and drawing out their hatred.

3. Also, I'm can't really remember any examples of summons being able to use transformation alone, though I know they can use jutsus. Anyway, neither the summons or the seal really matters, I guess. This is fan fiction after all.

4. I decided not to go into depth about how Kabuto escaped. Orochimaru had tons of ways to do it, so you can assume Kabuto picked up a few things.

5. Yamato managed to make it in, so congrats to those who wanted him.

6. The 'blank canvas' part of Kabuto's speech was of course influenced by a similar speech Itachi gave to Naruto, so thank you Itachi.

I think that's everything I wanted to cover. I hope so lol.

Note:

**Tribulatus**

**Latin**

**Etymology**

**Literal meaning: to afflict or press.**

**Affliction/ Hardship/Adversity/ Distress**


	9. Promissum

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait for this. I've been really busy. School and all of course. That's my excuse :). It's true though. School is tough. But, you guys don't want to hear me whine, you want to read. So I'll just let you do that. I hope you enjoy it, and please review if you can. Thank you. Enjoy. :D

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**Previously: **

"I-I'm sorry Sasuke." There was another painful tug at his chest. Maybe from the jutsu, or maybe not… "Please… f-forgive me." He whispered the shaky words quietly to the boy, and was surprised to notice the warm tears flowing from his eyes and soaking into his mask. He couldn't remember the last time he cried in the battlefield. He had been much closer to death, in the midst of the most dangerous deadly criminals, and hadn't the slightest impulse to shed a tear during any battle. But now was different. For some reason, he couldn't hold back the tears. Sasuke gurgled and whimpered restlessly, almost sounding worried.

He looked at Sasuke for what he felt would probably be the last, giving one last apology.

"I'm Sorry."

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**Chapter 9**:_ Promissum_

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Sasuke looked up at his guardian as he spoke his words. He didn't understand in the slightest what the man was saying, or why his face was wet with tears, but somehow he knew that something was wrong. The man continued to repeat the same words over and over. "I'm sorry" he said to the boy again. Sasuke didn't understand, but he responded the way he knew best. Letting out random gurgles and sounds that always seemed to please the man and make him smile. Not this time though. He started to whimper, wanting the man to lift him and hold him gently in his arms. "I'm sorry… I can't… anymore." the shaken voice whispered to him. The toddler was confused.

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Kakashi continued to look down at Sasuke. All he knew to do was tell him how sorry he was, even if he didn't understand. It was as if the world had stopped around him. For a moment, probably the last moments of Kakashi's life, everything around him seemed to pause. He couldn't care less about Kabuto, who was probably about to stab him through the back with a kunai or something… Kakashi didn't care. He could only focus on the last bit of time he had left with Sasuke.

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Kabuto was preparing his final attack with the last bit of the chakra he could afford. Kakashi was on the verge of death, but he decided he would end the pathetic man's misery right there and then. His hand glowed purple as it had earlier, ready to plunge into Kakashi's back, sending the man into cardiac arrest.

"Don't worry Kakashi. Your student will be well taken care of. Orochimaru-Sama will make sure of that." The words were so venomous, meant only to add insult to injury. Kabuto knew the words would get to Kakashi. "I can't wait to see how he turns out. Too bad you won't!" A hand launched toward Kakashi's back, his final words echoing through Kakashi's head as he felt his end coming.

Kabuto hands came inches away, but he was stopped short by something. He had made contact, but not with Kakashi. His chakra had uselessly been driven into a piece of wood that had sprang from the ground out of nowhere. His eyes squinted in confusion as he tried to understand what the hell had just happened. He was thrown out of his thoughts when the ground trembled beneath him and he felt something firm and solid wrap around his feet. He recognized this technique. This was…

"Mokuton!" Kabuto gasp before having the wood reach above his waste, managing to wrap around his arms. He struggled to get away, but it was useless. Out of nowhere, he felt another familiar chakra approaching from his right, but before he could even turn his head, a blazing fist made contact with his face, sending his entire body bursting through the wood confinements and flying several feet, not stopping until he impacted violently into a tree.

"Kakashi Senpai!"

Kakashi eyes widened a bit, recognizing that very familiar voice, and looked up, surprised to see Yamato standing feet before him. But, not only Yamato, there was Tsunade-Sama… the real Tsunade. But, where was Kabuto? He hadn't seen Tsunade punch him, his body since taking the consequences.

"Tsunade-Sama…Yamato?" Kakashi couldn't really believe his eyes and the inflection of his tired voice reflected his disbelief. He wasn't complaining though.

Kabuto was trying to regain himself. He had had the senses knocked right out of him. Once the pain hit him, he grabbed his face growling in utter pain as blood poured from his nose and mouth. He had forgotten how strong that woman was.

"Orochimaru and his twisted schemes! I figured as much." Kabuto heard the blond woman speak viciously. He finally managed to look up at her, witnessing the anger in her eyes. She looked just about ready to deliver another powerful blow, which honestly managed to horrify him, but he wouldn't show it. Kabuto would have responded with a witty remark in an attempt to hide his fear, but he realized the extent of Tsunade's damage. His jaw was probably hanging of it's hinge. He settled for a disgruntled grimace.

He began to pick himself off the ground but Yamato wasn't letting that happen. With a quick hand movement, more wood had wrapped tightly around Kabuto's body, confining him against the damaged trunk of the tree. How quickly the roles had changed. Now it was his back that was against a wall, or a tree to be exact.

"A taste of your own medicine. It's bitter isn't it." Tsunade teased cruelly. She only wished it was Orochimaru instead as she began to approach Kabuto who was completely defenseless. "I don't know what your sick master has in mind now, but whatever it is, I will stop him." She now had her fist tightened around the collar of his shirt.

"Orochi…maru is determined… to get Sasuke." He began, his apparently broken jaw made the words sound slurred and hardly comprehendible. "I failed… but he's not going to give up so easily." Tsunade already knew that for sure, but hearing him say it only heightened her anger. As a sick smile played on his features, she couldn't refrain from throwing another punch, impacting Kabuto's face and making the back of his head hit the tree. He was lucky. It took all her self control to keep her from punching his entire skull in, but right now, she needed him for questioning. Still, it was enough to render the man unconscious.

Yamato was relieved and could relax knowing that Kabuto wouldn't be making trouble for awhile. To think, all this excitement, and he had just gotten back in town. How exhausting. Then he remembered.

"Kakashi-senpai!" He looked behind him to find his friend in a horrible state. He ran to him kneeling at his side. Kakashi was in a lot of pain and he could hardly breath.

"Kakashi-San? You alright?"

"I-I've been b-better." Kakashi sounded as if he was in a lot of pain.

Tsunade turned noticing Kakashi's state. She rushed over to assess Kakashi's condition. It wasn't good.

"S-Sas-suke" Kakashi breath out." She only now had noticed Sasuke lying hazardously beneath Kakashi's weakening body. He must had been using all his strength to keep from letting his legs and arms give underneath his weight.

Yamato felt completely bewildered as he had not yet connected the fact that Sasuke was the strange baby that Tsunade had pulled from the ground. It would take a few moments before it clicked, leaving him awe-struck. Though Orochimaru and Kabuto's involvement was all he really needed, he couldn't help but be more than a little curious for more details. Now wasn't the time though, and he would have to wait later for a deeper explanation. "Take him." Tsunade rushed the child into Yamato's arms as she got to work on Kakashi.

Kakashi hadn't the strength to hold himself up and had hit the ground as soon as Tsunade moved Sasuke. He was breathing badly and obviously in a lot of pain. Tsunade rolled the man on his back and began pumping the healing chakra into his chest. She prayed that she was not too late. He looked bad. She had knowledge of this jutsu. It acted very similar to a poison, or more precisely a venom. The user's chakra would enter the victim's body and act as some foreign body as it traveled through the chakra system. It disrupted chakra flow to the muscles, similar to how foreign proteins in a venom would affect the blood. Fortunately, just as venom, she could counteract the chakra with her own in the form of a jutsu that was created for this very purpose. It was in effect, an anti-jutsu. But she looked dismayed. The damage looked so bad already.

Kakashi was weak. He could feel the warm sensation of Tsunade's chakra flowing into his chest. He wasn't sure if it was relieving his pain or breathing, but it was a soothing feeling. He tried to move, but his body was completely numb, save for his chest. Pain, more intense than before, over flooded his upper body, causing him to groan loudly. Tsunade, desperate to help him, surged more healing chakras into his chest.

"Can't we get him to the hospital." Yamato seemed desperate.

"There's no time, and the risk of moving him is too great. Look, I'm doing my best!"

Tsunade was trying desperately, but it seemed like her attempts were in vain. He was fading quickly. Yamato became quiet again as he watched her and the glow of her hands as they laid on Kakashi chest. Sasuke wasn't able to hold on to the same reserve, as he felt more irritated every second Yamato held him. He was confused and he wanted Kakashi. Reaching his arms out for him, he started to cry, tears rolling down his dirty cheeks as he struggled against Yamato's grip.

"Keep him quiet Yamato!" Tsunade growled impatiently. Yamato desperately tried to calm him down, but his cries grew worse.

Tsunade cursed, but not because of the noise. She noticed that Kakashi was getting worse. She continued to pump chakra into his chest, but nothing was working to help him as he began to fall into unconsciousness.

"C'mon Kakashi. Don't give up on me yet." She said inwardly. She was giving it her all, but being a doctor who had her share of medical cases, she knew all too well that often times, the will of someone to live could do more than any medicine or chakra. She only hoped Kakashi was strong enough to make it through.

* * *

Kakashi eyes opened to a void of emptiness. It was dark and barren of any light or life other than himself. Or maybe, he wasn't really alive at all. Kakashi questioned, but didn't linger on it for very long. He still couldn't move his body and he could still feel the numbing pain humming lightly in his chest. He decided then that he was probably still alive, but was on the verge. He felt so tired and could feel his very life draining away. Strangely, he didn't feel very panicked by that. It was so hard not to just accept his death. He had been fighting it, but his tired body was urging him to give up and accept the strangely soothing darkness. "I'm sorry." he said within his unconscious mind. As the words echoed through the blackness, his mind drifted through his past, remembering random things, some of them painful, others, some of the best moments of his life. He thought of when he found out about the death of his father, or the death of his best friend, Obito. He remembered when he first met his genin and how proud he was when they passed his test. Some memories were just plain ridicules, like the time team seven tried to see underneath his mask, or when Naruto tried to get a peak at his novel. There were so many memories, and then one in particular came to mind.

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

"I remember someone telling me not to overuse my Sharingan." Kakashi looked up from his 'adult' novel to see his raven-haired student looking down at him crossly, arms folded. "Too bad he doesn't heed his own advice." The fourteen year old face was insipid and seemed very uninterested, but knowing him well, Kakashi could tell he was upset.

As usual, using Mangekyou Sharingan had it's share of setbacks. He was hospitalized for one, and if there was anything Kakashi hated, it was hospitals. He couldn't accomplish missions in his condition either. He couldn't even teach his students. Perhaps the worst consequence was that he would have to deal with a certain moody Uchiha.

"Oops." was Kakashi's overly simply response, making Sasuke even more annoyed. This man could be so irritating.

"You're too reckless."

"I'll be more careful next time, Sasuke Sensei." Sasuke face was locked between a sneer and a grimace. How could he be so immature.

"You're an idiot, Kakashi."

"So… what you bring me?" Kakashi responded childishly, disregarding the insult altogether.

"Excuse me?"

"Sakura brought me a cake, and Naruto, a get-well card stuffed with ramen coupons." Kakashi chuckled at the last part, then continued. "Surely, my most compassionate student has gotten me something to ease my suffering and help me recover." Kakashi tried to look serious, but he was having a hard time containing his mental hilarity, as Sasuke couldn't control the urge to roll his eyes.

"You don't deserve cake or ramen, and you're getting nothing from me." Kakashi had expected as cold a response from him and smiled.

Sasuke again felt his vexation rise at the man whom seemed so annoyingly happy and cheerful about everything. He couldn't understand how in the world he could be so cheerful, being hospitalized…again. Whatever it was that made the masked man smile so much wasn't reaching Sasuke whose face creased with a slightly irritated frown.

"Dammit Kakashi. Why does everything have to be a joke." Sasuke voice was very serious, solemn , and quite nearly silent. Kakashi barely heard it. Sasuke was no longer looking him in the eye. Kakashi stopped smiling, feeling bad for the way he was acting. He hadn't realized how serious Sasuke was, and now he had gotten his student upset. Everything became quiet as Sasuke remained in his position, hands in his pocket as his eyes wondered to distant object through the window.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Kakashi broke the silence. Sasuke didn't look back, but Kakashi knew he was listening and hoped his sincerity came through. "I promise, I'll be more careful." Kakashi spoke more seriously this time. There was a small pause as Kakashi waited for a response.

"…Hnn." A word that Kakashi had come to understand. It had many meanings, but for now, he took it as a "Whatever. I forgive you." sort of answer. He knew that everything was alright now, even as Sasuke turned around and headed toward the door pretending not to have ever heard his sensei's promise.

"What? Leaving already?"

"Hn. See you tomorrow."

"…Right." Kakashi took that as a 'yes' as he watched Sasuke head toward the door.

Sasuke turned his head slightly to look at his bedridden sensei in the corner of his eye. "…I'm glad your alright." Sasuke slipped out the door, departing quickly after the quiet words. It was as if he hoped Kakashi wouldn't quite catch it, but he did and Kakashi couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I promise. I won't die on you." Kakashi said quietly to himself after Sasuke had gone. Kakashi knew that he was the only adult in Sasuke's life. Even if Sasuke didn't admit it, he was dependent on Kakashi in ways that Naruto and Sakura weren't. Kakashi had come to understand that he had become the parental figure that Sasuke lost all those years ago.

* * *

End Flashback

* * *

That promise I made. I promised that I wouldn't leave him, that I wouldn't die like his parents had. I'm suppose to be there to protect all my students. I can't just die here." Kakashi struggled against his own instinct to give into death. All the memories of him and his team swarm his unconscious mind. They were all counting on him, especially now. Sasuke needed Kakashi more than ever. He couldn't just give up and die. He swore he wouldn't. He heard the familiar sound of crying, and he instantly recognized it.

"Sa-Sasuke?"

* * *

Yamato remained quiet as Tsunade continued working. He just couldn't process all that was happening. The possibility that Tsunade might not be able to save Kakashi. It was all so hard to register at once. Sasuke was still crying loudly, but no one seemed to care. They were all to trapped in their own silent grieving over the situation to even hear.

"Sa-Sasuke. "

Yamato lifted his head. He could have sworn he heard Kakashi mutter something. He wondered if It was his imagination. He waited, hoping that he would hear something again, Anything at all.

"Sasuke. D-don't cry."

Kakashi said weakly and then began to cough, and that's when both Yamato and Tsunade realized that Kakashi was conscious again. He opened his eyes slightly to see everyone crowded around.

"Kakashi-San!" The two of them exclaimed his name, excited to see him conscious again.

"D-Didn't think I was goin' down that easily did you?" Kakashi smiled a bit. His words sent relief through Yamato. Even Tsunade couldn't help but relieve the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Well, you really had us worried for a minute. Sasuke too." Yamato remembered the Uchiha in his arms and reached him toward Kakashi, happy that they could finally be reunited. Kakashi, being able to move a little now, was as willing as the little toddler to receive him. He was glad that he had managed to protect him. Sasuke seemed just as happy now that he was in the arms he had grown so used to in just a day. He gurgled and babbled cheerfully to Kakashi.

"Our friends got us out a tough situation." He pretended as if Sasuke could understand him. "We're lucky, although it wouldn't have hurt to have made an earlier entrance." Kakashi chuckled as he could feel Yamato's and Tsunade's eyes stare holes into him.

"…And to think…they call me late."

-End

* * *

And that's the end of that conflict, just like I promised. For all those worried, Kakashi didn't die. I'm sure most of you knew that though. I hope it wasn't too bad. The ending was pretty tough. I'm sorry if it wasn't up to par. I'm still considering paths to take with the next part of the story, and this isn't nearly the end. I have plenty of ideas. I've been thinking of a few other characters to introduce, but I won't get too into that, right now. I'll update again, but not for a little while. Two many school assignments and projects that I need to catch up on and complete. Thanks to all my readers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and get a chance to review.

-Amaterasu333

Note:

**Promissum**

**Latin**

**Etymology:**

**Literal meaning: To put forth, To hold on.**

**Promise**


	10. Resolvere

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hello all. I know it been a while, approximately a month I think, but I'm finally back with a new chapter. As always, never wanted to keep you waiting so long, but last month was truly a busy one, as I predicted it would be. Hopefully everyone was able to read my end chapter comment a the end of chapter 9, but if not, it doesn't matter now. The wait is over. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 10: **_Resolvere_

* * *

It had been two days since Kakashi had nearly died, and as anyone would expect, he was still in the hospital. Tsunade insisted upon it, though he felt he was just fine, even if his body was still a bit weak. He really hated hospitals, and not even his books could make him feel better right now. Boredom was starting to set in. Kakashi sat in his hospital bed, looking longingly out the window. He wasn't sure how much longer he could endure being trapped in this suffocating cell, this tiny prison. Well, okay. He had to admit, he was being a bit over dramatic, but he couldn't help it. Two days stuck in that hospital bed was long enough. He was starting to feel claustrophobic. Being stuck on bed rest really wasn't helping his nerves which were still on edge since the incident with Kabuto. Most of his waking minutes were spent worrying about what had happened. What bothered him most was what Kabuto said to him. Orochimaru plans were truly disgusting and he couldn't fathom the thought of Orochimaru getting his hands on Sasuke. He knew that Orochimaru wouldn't be giving up so easily. He would definitely try at another attempt sooner or later, which really put Kakashi on edge. In a desperate attempt to change the direction of his troubling thoughts, he decided that his mind would find more relief if he thought of a ways to escape the hospital instead. Thinking up escape plans was a better choice compared to his dreary thoughts any day.

"You should be asleep, Hatake." Kakashi turned to see the Hokage standing in the doorway of his hospital room. He hadn't even noticed her. He wondered how long she'd been standing there. "You're not going to heal any faster staring out the window."

"Yes, you're right. Tsunade-Sama." He bowed his to the blond woman. "Also, I wanted to thank you again for your help. If it weren't for you… and Yamat-…"

"Don't worry about that." Tsunade cut him off. She was tired of hearing him repeat his gratitude. "It was imprudent of me to allow such an incident to begin with." Tsunade's voice held some remorse. "Actually… there's something I've been contemplating."

Tsunade had entered the room completely and shut the door behind her. 'She closed the door.' Kakashi thought inwardly That meant this would be a serious conversation. Kakashi hated serious conversations and he knew she was about to say something that would probably bring his mood down even further. He waited patiently for her to continue anyway.

"I've been thinking that my decision to leave Sasuke in your care was a mistake."

"What do you mean 'a mistake?' I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my students." Tsunade saw the reaction coming a mile away. Kakashi undoubtedly was a bit upset by Tsunade's words. She knew he would take it the wrong way.

"Listen Kakashi. I have complete faith in your skills as a shinobi, but the situation is still too dangerous. You almost died a couple days ago."

"It's not the first time I've almost died. It won't be the last either. That's never stopped me before."

"I barely got you out of there the last time. Next time, you may not be so fortunate!"

"I don't care." Kakashi said turning his head back towards the window. Tsunade stared at him for some time before dropping her head and sighing irritably. Somehow, she had expected this. She knew how stubborn he could be sometimes.

"Shinobi don't quit missions because of the possibility of failure or death, neither do comrades their friends, nor Senseis their students. I won't run away Tsunade-Sama."

"Are you openly disobeying my orders?" Disregarding the Hokage's command was a big no-no obviously. What she said supposedly went. 'The Hokage knows best.' was like one of those unspoken shinobi rules, but anyone who knew Kakashi also knew that there were specific scenarios when rules didn't apply to him. After only a moment, a slight smile could be seen underneath his mask and Tsunade already had an idea what was coming.

"Those who disobey the rules are considered scum,… but tho-…"

"Yes, yes, I know, Kakashi." Not in a mood to hear him say it, Tsunade cut him off suddenly, seeming both irritated and exasperated by the counter argument. "Why must you be so melodramatic." She continued as she began to rub furiously at her temples. She gave another annoyed sigh before smirking a bit at the side of her lips. Kakashi wasn't sure why, but it had to be a good thing with Tsunade, right?

"I figured you'd be as stubborn Kakashi. I guess there's just no convincing you then, right?" Kakashi didn't have to say a word for her to understand his answer. "Fine, If it's what you want, Kakashi. I can't refrain a good shinobi from taking his responsibilities seriously." She turned to leave the man alone as he watched her back recede. "Things will have to change, though." He wasn't sure what she meant, but for that moment, he was just glad that he had won the dispute.

"Kakashi." Tsunade's voice called out right as she was exiting through the door, catching Kakashi's full attention again.

"You're an experienced Shinobi. You know as well as I do one of the biggest rules of the battlefield. Letting your personal feelings control you so fervently can lead to weakness."

Tsunade was right, emotions often meant weakness, but Kakashi knew from experience, that they could also lead to strength. On that note, Kakashi wasn't going to debate with himself or Tsunade what would lead where. He bowed his head and thanked her, knowing that she was only looking out for him. Tsunade got the feeling that he wasn't taking her advice to heart, not the way she wanted anyway. She only shook her head, as she left through the door.

Kakashi turned back to the window as Tsunade's words ran their course through his mind. "Personal attachments and feeling can often cloud one's mind and lead to failure, but I have to admit that these personal feelings often come through whenever my students or teammates are involved. It makes me determined to fight harder, and to protect my friends better. Would I really be able to protect them as well if not for personal attachments."

More questions mounted in the jounin's head. He had to finally acquit his conflicting thoughts in favor of worrying about what he felt was more troubling issues. His house had been blown up for one.

"Where the hell am I suppose to live."

He though for a few seconds but decided that that too, was too tiresome to think about. For now, it was back to thinking of escape plans.

* * *

It had been a few hours since the his talk with Tsunade, and Kakashi remained incredibly bored for some time. There was at least visiting hours, which had been the highlight of his time there. Naruto was being as loud as ever, screaming at the top of his lungs. Kakashi actually missed it whenever he was in the hospital. Of course, the high volume did not last for long, as Sakura quickly became annoyed. Kakashi already predicted what came next, and on cue, Naruto was knocked in the head by the konoichi. He heard Sakura mumble something about keeping his voice down in a hospital, but his attention was grabbed by a younger student who started tugging at Kakashi mask for attention, which was still kind of strange. The normal Sasuke hated attention.

" Heh, I haven't forgotten you Sasuke." He said fondly to the toddler.

"Gaagaaga!" Sasuke babbled energetically as he kept pulling on the man's mask.

"No. That's not a toy." Kakashi said gently as he pulled away. Sasuke fussed a bit, reaching out for the soft cloth, but Kakashi's hand started to block his own. With no success of getting to the mask again, his attention turned next to the shiny metal plate attached to Kakashi's headband, eyeing the indentation of the leaf symbol, until he realized his own reflection on the shiny surface. Finding curiosity in it, he tried the same methods as with the mask, gurgling and cooing happily as he pulled and yanked at it.

"You're pretty energetic today, eh Sasuke." Team seven had been babysitting since he was in the hospital. He wondered and kind of dreaded the idea that maybe Naruto had already rubbed off on him. One hyperactive student was enough. He pulled the toddler back down into his lap, evidently having the headband slip from his head.

"Goooo." The toddler responded, sounding almost amazed by the object in his hands and then his face seemed to become very serious and rigid as he studied it almost critically. Feeling the silkiness of the cloth material, and then again the smoothness of the silvery metal, he looked up at Kakashi as if asking what the strange thing was.

"Headband." Kakashi said softly while Sasuke continued looking up at him. "Head-band" slower this time. " Can you say that word?" Sasuke was still babbling non-words, but Kakashi had noticed Sasuke a bit more talkative lately, although Naruto and Sakura asserted that he was pretty quiet most of the time he wasn't visiting Kakashi. Kakashi hoped he could get a real word out of him and had repeated words over and over again, hopefully sparking some sort of understanding or connection.

For a moment Kakashi became hopeful as Sasuke opened his mouth wider, as if ready to speak. It turned out to be the beginning of a small yawn. It was long past noon and Sasuke seemed tired and ready for a nap. Letting his weight go, he tiredly laid his body completely against Kakashi's. It only took a few more moments of yawning before Sasuke drifted off to what seemed like a peaceful sleep, Kakashi's stolen headband still between his tiny fingers. A soft smile formed on Kakashi face as a warm feeling flooded his chest. It was a strange joy that overcame him. One that he couldn't remember feeling before, but it was a good feeling anyway. As he looked across to his other two students, who were still in some dispute about 'quiet' and 'hospitals', (Kakashi couldn't remember what it was about anymore), and back at the one curled in his lap, he completely forgot about his problems. For right now, he was happy counting his blessings. He was thankful that he was safe, and that Sasuke was safe. He was thankful that he was there at all, to continue to protect his students when the time came, and the time would come again, he was sure of it. No matter what would happen in the future, Kakashi felt that things would be alright, and even if they wouldn't, he would still be there to give his life if necessary for his team. He'd thought back to his conversation with Tsunade. He'd knew he had made the right choice.

* * *

"Orochimaru-Sama." three voices simultaneously sounded through the darkness of the cavern lit only by the slight glimmer of a few flames. It was too dark to see any of their features, not that Orochimaru cared to see their faces anyway. As for Orochimaru, all they could see of him was the snake-like yellow irises of his eyes quite honestly glowing. Damn was it creepy. As if their nerves weren't shot enough, being in the presence of the snake sannin. All three of them was sure they were trembling slightly at the knees.

"You three kept me waiting." The snake hissed sending a shiver of fear through the three's spines.

"F-Forgive us Orochimaru-S-Sama. It won't happen again." A female's voice apologized shakily. Another of the three shook his head nervously in agreement, and the third remained quiet and absolutely still.

"You three have been useless to me in the past. I've decided I have no need for such worthless waste of skin." The tree broke out in a cold, nervous sweat. Oh God. What was he saying. They swallowed back the fear. Whenever Orochimaru found someone unworthy or useless, he would dismiss them… permanently…In the worse way possible.

"Don't worry." Orochimaru smiled sickly, sensing their fear increase. "I considered simply to dispose of you three, but I had another interesting idea that I'm sure you would find much more pleasurable." The beating of their hearts increased slightly. Anything was better than being disposed of. "I can offer what I'm sure the three of you desire the most." The three gasp. They knew exactly what they wanted most, but could Orochimaru be serious.

"…but" Orochimaru continued, "not before you achieve something for me first in return." The three remained quiet, nervousness growing.

"Yakushi Kabuto was sent on an important mission for me, but it seems he failed miserably. I want you to locate him and bring him back here for the punishment he deserves. But that's only your first and least important objective. Certainly not worth the reward. Your main objective is completing what Kabuto couldn't. I want you to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke." Uchiha Sasuke? They questioned inwardly.

"And if we do..." Another voice of the three, this time masculine but obviously young, was heard, "You…you'll let us."

"That's right. Bring me back the Uchiha in exchange for you freedom." Freedom. It really was what they wanted the most. For so long, they'd wanted nothing but to escape from the wretched prison. Though the thought that it was a cruel empty promise from Orochimaru, only meant to get them to achieve his goals, crossed their minds, they couldn't pass down the opportunity. Any possibility of freedom had to at least be attempted. Of course, it's not like they had a choice. The three of them nodded warily, accepting the mission.

"Good. Your destination is Konoha."

* * *

Two figures walked silently along the old deserted trail, passing tree upon tree, not quite aware of the time anymore. It was getting late as the sun began to sink slowly, turning the sky a deep crimson, nearly as bold a red that adorned their black swaying attires. The two had been walking for hours now, but neither showed the slightest sign of being weary, although one, the tallest whose skin was strangely blue, appeared more restless by the second. He was itching for conversation, or anything at all to stimulate his senses. His silent partner offered no relief from the boredom, whose eyes for whatever reason had been transfixed on the sky for the last several minutes.

"Hey, Itachi. What the hell you looking at?" The taller ask annoyed after finally working up the nerve to speak to the younger male. He got no response in return, though the other male did decide to look back to the trail.

"You've been even more quiet than usual lately, not to mention completely inattentive." Again, the male didn't answer.

"Itachi." This time he stopped, and appeared to be in deep thought for a couple of seconds. His partner thought that he had finally succeeded and maybe some interesting conversation would follow.

"This is where we part ways."

"What!" Damn. The conversation was ending before it began.

"Have you forgotten so quickly. Pein has sent us to separate destinations. Your mission is in Kumogakure. We can no longer travel in the same direction."

"Yeah, yeah! I remember." Kisame responded gruffly. "I just thought things would be a little more interesting before we had to split." before he could get the words out, Itachi had already began moving in the direction of his mission. Kisame hated the rare occasions when he traveled without a partner. Too quiet for his liking and far too boring. He guessed he would just have to put up with it and turned, heading towards the land of lightning.

Itachi was glad to be rid of his partner who wasn't great at entertaining himself. It gave him more concentration, and for once he could think and hopefully clear his head of the annoying cloudiness that had come over it recently. For whatever reasons, he had not been able to concentrate and was becoming unfocused. He'd felt this way before, but only when something wasn't right. It was like a sixth sense telling him that somewhere, things just weren't the way he would have preferred it to be. For now, he had to focus his thoughts and get on with his mission to a place he hated more than most. He would have preferred to be in Kisame's position right now and heading toward Kumo.

"My destination… is Konoha." He stated as if reminding himself cautiously. He couldn't think of Konoha without thinking of a certain person he'd left behind all those years ago. And suddenly, the fuzziness returned to he head, but he pushed it away as before.

-End

* * *

Amaterasu333

Whew, Been awhile, huh. Sorry for the long wait. I was finally able to get out another chapter. I hope you enjoyed. With Itachi and three other mysterious figures (Identities may be obvious for a lot of you :p) approaching, things are sure to get a little sticky. I made just a bit of a change with Sasuke. Usually I mention that he is just gurgling or babbling, but I wanted to represent that in actual text sometime. Hopefully you guys don't mind. I'll definitely try to update the next chapter a lot sooner since I should be a bit freer this month. We'll see. :p Thanks for reading and thanks to all my reviewers in advance.

* * *

Note:

**Resolvere**

**Latin**

**Etymology:**

**Literal meaning: To loosen, To disperse, To release, To pay.**

**To make a resolution. To resolve:(To make a decision, To settle an argument, To dispel doubts.) **


	11. Paternalis

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hey guys. Thank you all again for the reviews from last chapter. I know it's been awhile since I've updated this story. I'm sorry for the long wait without any warning. Summers almost here and school's almost out, for me anyway. I'm willing to bet some of you are already done. Anyway, I'm ecstatic. I nice break from it all will be nice. I'm sure I'll have more time to write then. Well anyhow, here's chapter 11. I have to be honest. It's not the most exciting chapter. The next will be more exciting though. I hope you enjoy.

Although it's been awhile since I've updated this story, I had published a short two-shot. Some of you may be interested. "My Heart Goes With You."

* * *

**Chapter 11: **_Paternalis_

* * *

"Cawww!"

"Caw! Caww!"

A couple of crows called from above. It caught Kakashi's attention for only a moment before he slouched back into his seat. Kakashi breath deeply, inhaling the refreshing noon breeze. He felt strangely calm and serene as he sat on the park bench. His relaxed mood was very much welcomed and appreciated. It had already been nearly a week since his confrontation with Kabuto, and he still felt nervousness arise sometime out of suspicion. For a couple of days, Sasuke was out of his care, and he couldn't help but worry that something would happen while he wasn't there. He tried to convince Tsunade that he was fine, and didn't need to remain in the hospital, but Tsunade was firm and assured that his charge would be in good hands.

Kakashi had felt a little unsure about the rest of his students being considered good hands. Naruto would probably try to feed Sasuke ramen or something like that. Of course Sakura was there too. She was responsible. Even Yamato was checking in on them often enough. He knew he had nothing to worry about. He had to admit to himself that he was simply being irrational and overprotective. Sasuke was in a vulnerable state right now after all, and he…well he just couldn't help feeling that way. Kakashi cringed at himself for feeling like an overprotective father.

Finally, after nearly a week, things were starting to feel a bit normal. As normal as they could anyway, with Sasuke still being a baby and everything. Tsunade was still looking for the reverse or cure to the jutsu that caused it and Kabuto was her biggest lead. He was still in Konoha's confinements, and Tsunade was making regular interrogations with him. She was able to strangle er… wrangle some information out of him, but he was far too stubborn to cooperate fully. Kakashi just wished Tsunade would give him a chance at the bastard. He promised he wouldn't hurt Kabuto,… not too much anyway. He was sure that the nut job would have all the information they needed. Tsunade forbade it however. Kakashi couldn't see why, but he decided to let it go. She reminded him that Kabuto was her job. Taking care of Uchiha was his. She was right. Looking over Sasuke was far more important.

Now that a week had past, he had felt far more relaxed and decided that everyone needed a break from all the tension. A little down time never hurt anyone. So there on the park bench, Kakashi relaxed as he watched his most childish student run around and play like an idiot high on sugar and caffeine. No, he wasn't talking about Sasuke.

"C'mon Sakura that had to do something!"

"Nope. I don't think he like it." Sakura confessed to Naruto.

Naruto had been moving around like a ape with an hyperactive disorder for the past 10 minutes. He had been doing crazy over -the-top back flips, his best impression of a dog, making the most unusual faces he could muster, all in the name of making the raven in Sakura's arms laugh or at least crack a smile. Nothing he was doing for the past half-hour, or the past week for that matter, was working, and it was starting to really irritate the blond.

"I'm not usually one to be interested in your little schemes, but I can't help but ask today. What are you guys doing?" Kakashi couldn't hold his peace. Naruto was acting too weird, even for Naruto.

"He just won't laugh, no matter what!" Naruto screeched with a childless pout following.

"Who? You mean Sasuke?" Naruto remained quiet, sulking over 'God-knows-what?', leaving Kakashi still confused.

"While we were babysitting when you were still hospitalized, Naruto came to the over-exaggerated conclusion that Sasuke-kun…" Sakura paused, letting out a few giggles. " only laughs at him when he's in pain." Sakura finished, while not being able to suppress the small laughter starting to escape again.

"It true! I'm telling you Kakashi-Sensei. You and Sakura try and make him happy, it's all giggles and rosy cheeks. When I try, he just stares at me boringly, until he starts pulling my hair. While I'm screaming in pain, he's laughing his diaper off!"

"Naruto." Kakashi said with an skeptical and incredulous, yet amused, expression. "Sakura's right. Your over-exaggerating."

"I am not!" Naruto whined as he gave up on his endeavor all together and began walking toward Kakashi. "You should have seen him when Sakura socked me in the eye, and don't even get me started on when my ramen sp-" Naruto was so busy arguing and complaining to himself that he hadn't been looking where he was going. He tripped over a large root that unfurled precariously from the earth, and with a yelp fell and hit the ground face first. His body instantly coiled as he held his throbbing face.

"Oh. My face! Ow Owww! AHH!" Naruto cried out words of pain, along with others mumbled utterances Kakashi was sure were obscenities. He couldn't quite tell. And hardly two seconds later, a shiver of amusement was evident in the little Uchiha who began to giggle slightly and point at Naruto as if teasing the blond friend for his idiocy. At that moment, Sakura could hardly keep from laughing, and clamped her lips tight. Kakashi was glad that his mask hid the raised corners of his mouth, but regretted that the slight curve in his eyes gave him away enough.

Once the pain subsided, Naruto was finally able to look up at his teammates with a 'grass stained, annoyed, and slightly angry expression that didn't need words to explain. Something about "Stupid lil' teme." Was growled lowly as he heard the uncontrolled laughter break through each of his teammates.

* * *

Much of the day had passed away rather peaceably. Naruto could never really hold a grudge, even if he wanted to. That was one of his better qualities after all. Of course being treated to ramen by his sensei helped him forget the embarrassing ordeal even quicker. Nothing could quite melt away humiliation like a steaming bowl of the blonds' favorite.

"Ne, Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto said after slurping up the last of his broth.

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking. Um…well." Naruto seemed a little apprehensive about asking the question. "What if Grandma Tsunade's not able to change im' back" His eyes wondered down to the small toddler bouncing in his sensei's lap as he pulled playfully at the man's green vest. The question caught Sakura's attention and she looked up at Kakashi nervously, awaiting the answer to a question she herself was curious about.

"She'll be able to change him back."

"Yeah, but what if she can't?" Such a simple answer that didn't even answer the question couldn't even fool Naruto anymore. He wanted to assure them, to keep them from worrying, but they weren't twelve anymore. They understood that what they wanted was not always what would happen. Kakashi couldn't just say something, and they would believe him because they wanted whatever he said to be true.

"What'll happen to Sasuke-kun?" This time, it was Sakura who spoke as she trained her eyes on her lap sadly. Kakashi realized that this was about their teammate. They were worried for Sasuke's wellbeing most of all.

"Well, in that case, I'll just have to take care of him." Sakura and Naruto looked a bit surprised. Did he really just say that.

"No matter what, Sasuke's still my student, and a member of team 7. It's my job and responsibility to protect him, since he has no one else to. I won't abandon him."

"You mean, he would be like your 'son' ." Naruto asked with raised brows.

"I…I suppose so." Kakashi wasn't actually thinking along those lines, but now that he had thought about what he'd said, he guessed that's exactly what he meant. Kakashi would raise him,… as his own.

Sakura and Naruto looked at one another for a moment, and then back at their sensei smiling, deciding that the answer was good, if not a little surprising.

"Well in that case, I'll be happy to baby-sit for you Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said cheerfully.

"Uh huh. It all of our responsibility. Teammates don't abandon their comrades." Naruto finished, vaguely echoing Kakashi's lessons. Kakashi couldn't help but smile. It made him proud that his students had truly taken that advice to heart.

"Heh heh. You hear that lil' 'teme. Kakashi gonna' be your Dad!" Naruto exclaimed to his young teammate as his finger pointed to Kakashi. Sasuke looked curiously, following Naruto's outward finger to the figure whose lap he happened to be sitting on. "Haha. Dada Kakashi." Naruto suddenly said to Sakura shaking his head. "Can you imagine Sasuke 'Teme saying that." It definitely was a strange thought and both were simultaneously amused and intrigued by the idea.

"Here you are Naruto-San." The young woman behind the table served him his 5th bowl of ramen and Naruto thanked her excitedly. He dug into the bowl as usual, showing little table etiquette. Sakura grimaced. Naruto's eating habits always disgusted her. Naruto continued to scarf down his meal, until he stopped suddenly, an interesting thought forming.

"Hey, now that I think about it, Sasuke-teme being raised all over again could be really great." Naruto said with a smirk on his face. "Maybe he'll pick up some manners."

"You pig, you're the one who needs manners! **STOP TALKING WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL!**

A loud 'smack' echoed through the busy streets, and curious passerbys stopped to watch as the blond began crying in pain, and a certain raven haired toddler laughed uncontrollably.

* * *

After spending most of the day with the team, Kakashi decided that it was time to head home before it got too late. It was already getting dark out, and the sun would be almost completely set by the time he got back. So after issuing a farewell to his students and reminding Naruto to put ice on that swollen eye, he left towards home, or the place he could call 'temporary home' anyway. _**His**_ home had been burned up in the little catastrophe a week ago, but he was trying to settle into this new little cottage-like house at the edge of Konoha. He missed being situated more in the center of the village, but understood that Tsunade wanted him to be located a little out of the way of the general population, for their safety.

As Kakashi approached his new living quarters, he was greeted by several Anbu, all of whom wore those creepy animal mask. Each of them greeted Kakashi with a bow, and Kakashi bowed in mutual respect. Kakashi supposed this was what Tsunade meant by "Things are going to have to change." She had assigned them to the mission of guarding Kakashi and Sasuke. He was aware that they followed his every move. They probably already had his whole day recorded in some weird little pamphlet, which sort of creeped him out a bit. It was all just extra protection for him and Sasuke. It was a weird thought to Kakashi that he, the guardian, needed guarding himself.

After the greetings, he hurried quickly through the front door and closed it behind him, happy to be out of such heavy surveillances. Sighing in relief, he sat the small child on the floor next to some toys, and immediately threw himself on the couch afterwards. His body was still feeling some aftereffects even after all that time.

"It's not home, but it's is pretty comfortable, hmm Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi went unnoticed, as the child was already busy crawling around and touching everything he saw. Sasuke had been extremely curious lately, and rather enjoyed exploring the new surrounding. Kakashi supposed it was natural though, for children his age to be so intrigued by the smallest change. Sasuke continued to crawl around until he eventually found himself at the couch, next to Kakashi. Using his arms, he used the edge of the couch to pull himself up on his unbalanced feet, using the fabric in between his baby fist to hold his balance.

"Daaa!" He babbled excitedly at Kakashi and smiled, as if trying to show off his new trick. "Well, that's new." Kakashi chuckled and smiled underneath his mask.

"Ah, I have a little surprise for you Sasuke." Kakashi had almost forgotten completely. He picked the boy up and walked to his own bedroom. It was rather plain and dull, but that was actually the way Kakashi liked it.

After setting Sasuke on the soft carpet, he walked to the corner of the room, where he pulled out a beige furry familiar object which gave a distinctive jingle. He couldn't believe he'd managed to find the thing. Even more implausible was the fact that it survived being in the half of the house that was in flames. He pulled it out of the rubble along with some other salvageable things, and after a good cleaning, it seemed brand new. Kakashi had a feeling the boy hadn't forgotten about the little toy, seeing as he had so little interest in the rest of the play things he had. His theory was proven correct when Sasuke cooed excitedly and reached his arms out for the object after he had gotten a good look at it.

"This is one lucky toy. Wish I could say the same for my books." Kakashi said as he handed the stuffed toy to his student. "Alright. Why don't you just stay there and play a bit." Kakashi hoped that Sasuke could entertain himself for a few moments while he took a bit of a break himself. If he was lucky, Sasuke would play long enough to tire himself out for bed. Kakashi sat himself at a small desk when a sheet of folded newspaper caught his attention. He'd remembered seeing random sheets lying everywhere when he moved in, but had never taken the time to look at any one of them. Now, Kakashi didn't know how long it'd been since he actually took the time to read through a paper, but since he had nothing else to read, so he figured that he might as well. He picked up the page and began to read.

"_Canned Soup Recalled." _read one of the headlines. 'Wasn't aware of that.' Kakashi thought boringly to himself as he continued to read only the titles of articles from the paper.

"_Suspicious Activity Reported in Outskirts" _

"_Tension Between the Sand and Leaf Escalates into Battle." _

"Since when did this start up again?" Kakashi said out loud to himself, surprised. He continued to read.

"_Uchiha Itachi: The Next Prodigy." _Kakashi's eyebrows quirked.

"_Third Hokage celebrates his 65th Birthday."_ That's when something clicked.

"What the… How old is this…?" Kakashi's eyes wondered around the page until he saw the date. The paper was nearly 13 years old. That told him something about the house. It had obviously been awhile since anyone lived in it. He thought about the point in reading the paper after all. Well, what the heck. Kakashi found an interesting article and continued.

"Guuuu" Sasuke gurgled as he chewed on the ear of his toy as he always did. He seemed to be enjoying the stuffed animal, but the lack of attention made him irritated. He was used to Kakashi playing along, but he was preoccupied. After fifteen minutes, he'd lost interest and decided to do what most toddlers would do at that age. He looked around the room for something interesting and colorful. The room was pretty dull and it's most vivid color was a medium green. Bored to a toddler's limit, he began crawling around curiously, touching and tugging on things with his fingers.

Kakashi was unaware that the boy had ever moved, and when he turned his eyes from the his paper, his heart nearly stopped. There was the cat, but no Sasuke anywhere.

"Sasuke?"" Kakashi looked around for a moment taking in any hint to where Sasuke might be.

"Sasuke?,… Sasuke!" Kakashi suddenly jumped from his seat feeling his heart thump against his chest a bit. Kakashi had to repress a wave of sudden terror and think rationally. Really, how far could he go. The bedroom door was closed, so he could have left. He had to be in the room, right?…

"Sasuke!"

"Daaaa." Kakashi was snapped out of his panic when a small sound came from within the room.

"Huh? Sasuke…Where are you?" A mop of silky, black hair appeared from underneath the bed, and Kakashi, after a bit of initial scare, exhaled in relief. He bent down on one knee to get a better look.

"What are you doing under there?" He asked calmly as if expecting a real answer. Sasuke just looked at him curiously, face plainly expressed, as Kakashi gazed down on him.

"C'mon, get from under there." Arms were outstretched, hoping to receive the boy. Sure enough, Sasuke scurried from underneath, hands and knees pattering and brushing against the soft carpet. Quickly, the toddler crawled over to Kakashi and scaled up into his guardian's arms.

"Daaa!" Sasuke said excitedly. "No wonder you got away from me so quickly. You're a pretty fast crawler, and you're even getting strong enough to stand on your legs." Kakashi noted as he realized that Sasuke had stood up to reach his arms. "A little more practice and you'll be walking and running around in no time." Kakashi thought about what he had said for a moment. "I don't know if that's good or bad."

Regardless of what he said, at that moment Kakashi wondered if he should let him try. It couldn't hurt. Sasuke was still standing as Kakashi slackened his embrace, though being sure to still hold him up gently by his arms so he wouldn't fall right away. After a moment of consideration, he slowly let go. Sasuke nearly lost his balance but managed to remain upright anyway, instinctively holding his hands out in attempt to grab hold of Kakashi and balance himself. Kakashi moved back a little, still close enough to catch Sasuke if he had to.

"C'mon Sasu-kun." Sasuke was hesitant at receiving the invitation. Trying to move was threatening his already shaky balance.

"Ah, C'mon. You can do it." Kakashi teased. A little extra encouragement. Kakashi held his arms out a little further, waving his fingers. Sasuke decided to venture the risk, and after another moment, he began to move on shaky legs. Almost immediately, he fell. Kakashi caught him before he hit the ground and helped his balance before he let go a second time. The second attempt ended much like the first, but the third was slightly better. Several minutes passed as attempt after attempt ended in failure

"One more time." Kakashi said, standing the toddler on his feet again and helping him to gain his balance for the twelfth time.. "You can do this." He said calmly. He let Sasuke go and moved back as before. He held out his arms, gesturing Sasuke to move forward into his arms. It started out shaky, but he didn't fall. One at a time, the toddler slowly placed one foot in front of the other. Kakashi's eyes crinkled in obvious pleasure and delight. Sasuke continued until his hands touched Kakashi's chest. It was like reaching a finish line.

"I knew you could do it. Good work Sasuke." Kakashi congratulated and smiled. Sasuke understood that he had done something good to make Kakashi smile as he did, and smiled back. Both were seemingly gleaming with pride and satisfaction.

* * *

The clock read 10:32pm. Kakashi laid in bed wearily. He knew the next day would be busy as it would be the first he held a training session with team 7 since Sasuke was turned into a toddler. Said toddler was already asleep in the room right beside Kakashi's. All the exercise must have tired him out, and now he was sleeping like a log.

As Kakashi lay awake in bed, he found himself thinking about the day, and his mind soon found itself at the conversation he had with his students. Almost instantly, his thoughts went back to his conversation with Tsunade as well.

"CAWWW! CAWWW!"

A horde of crows screeched outside. Kakashi didn't have anything against crows or anything, but when they gathered in groups, they always tended to unnerve him. He didn't like the way they had been flying the skies lately. His superstitious side told him that it could only mean trouble. He didn't doubt that one bit. With Sasuke more vulnerable than ever, he knew that things were only about to get started. By resolving to be not only Sasuke's guardian, but his father as well, Kakashi felt more strongly than ever about protecting Sasuke, someone who had somehow managed to become one of the most important in a long time.

-**End**

* * *

Ameterasu333

Like I said, kind of boring. I enjoyed writing it though. I hope you found some enjoyment in reading it as well. The next will definitely be more interesting, though. I can promise that. Have to be honest. Reviews equal encouragement. The more reviews, the more confidence and willingness to complete a chapter and publish it. Even if the reviews are full of critique, that's fine. I like to improve my skills. The fact that you review at all gives me a reason to continue. I love reading what you all think. Haha. So not to sound desperate or anything, please review if you can. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this at all. I appreciate everyone of you, whether you review or not. Until next time, see ya.

Note:

**Paternalis**

**Latin**

**Etymology: Pater (Father) + -alis**

**Literal meaning: Father**

**Pertaining to a Father/something considered characteristic of a father/Father-like.**


	12. Inquirere

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hello everyone. I wanted to thank all my great reviewers on the last chapter. The feedback is definitely appreciated. I enjoyed reading each and every one of them carefully, and it makes me excited to see my readers excited. So, other than that brief note, there's not much else to say except: I hope you enjoy Chapter 12 of Sentinel Kakashi.

* * *

**Chapter 12: **_Inquirere_

* * *

Itachi almost couldn't impede himself from shivering as the air was still chilled. It wouldn't get warmer until the sun was drawn, which wouldn't be for a little while longer. Taking one of his hands, he reached up to his cloak, clutching it tighter around his face as he felt more of the coldness reach into his body's core. Like his younger sibling, he never liked the cold, a trait that contrasted against his outwardly cold personality. His cheeks were even paler than usual as he felt the slightly numbed sensation of another gust of drafty air brush across his face.

Itachi regained himself as he meandered quietly through Konoha's silent paths. He managed to get into the village easily. He had enough knowledge of where there were some weaker points in security from his experiences in Konoha and careful observatory nature in his past, so the task wasn't at all arduous. Soon after he was in Konoha, he entered into a narrow opening, leading into a similarly narrow maze of passages in-between and behind buildings. The alleys had also been well-known to him since childhood. Before he'd left Konoha, he would use them to get anywhere since he always hated the crowds that inevitably clustered in the main streets. This knowledge would be proving advantageous seeing as he would be here for the next few days. Getting spotted would put his mission in jeopardy, so using the alleys as a means of travel would suit perfectly.

He was in Konoha dealing with the usual. Jinchuuriki and tailed beast. He was not there to capture the Nine Tail's Jinchuuriki though, but rather to gain more information on him. Running into situations had proven in bad taste for the Akatsuki, as their members had declined because of incidents where the Jinchuuriki's capabilities had clearly been misjudged and underestimated. That's why for the time being, Itachi was simply there to gain details.

As the night dragged on continuously, Itachi found his head lowered in a slightly lumbering manner, which was uncharacteristic of him. He'd been traveling most the night, and now, just as day was about to break within the next hour, maybe hour and a half, he found himself becoming weary, as if being cold wasn't hindering enough. If he were any less composed, he would have yawned, but being Itachi, even when alone, he endeavored to control such urges whenever possible. Still, the tiredness was growing, and his body had even less of a resolve to move on than usual as the fogginess of his mind was taking up most his strength and mental capacity. The displeasing tinge in the back of his head had not dissipated and he'd wondered vaguely if he was simply experiencing some strange form of mental or physical exhaustion as the sensations grew more severe.

He deliberately came to the dead end of a small alley where it was actually much broader and spacious. It was much the size of a very small room, but as one looked up, he could clearly see it was obviously not so, considering there was no ceiling. He knew there would be no one but him, and he soon found himself resting on a vacant crate that someone had abandoned and long forgotten years ago, probably before the surrounding building closed in the small space. Again, he recalled this exact location as a child. He'd always come here to clear his mind. It was abandoned, and isolated. Absolutely secluded from everyone but himself…except.

His little brother.

The only person Itachi told was Sasuke. Until then, he had kept the little place to only himself. Not even his best friend at the time, Shisui, knew about it. Sasuke was the only other person who knew about the "secret place" as Sasuke so childishly called it back then. Or rather, it was more like "Sweeket Pace." Sasuke's impediment always made Itachi inwardly smile. Even now after so many years he could identify the aged residue of old chalk drawings that he and his brother would make when they were very young. Itachi would always do those sort of things only around and with Sasuke. Elsewhere and around others, he wasn't really expected to do such childish things as making scribbles with a four year old. But here, alone with his little brother, he could hide from all the expecting eyes, and laugh and play like any other child. For him, even more than for Sasuke, it really was a "Secret Place", and one in which he trusted his little brother with. But that was a long time ago and things had, of course, changed since then. Things were different now.

Snapping out of his reminiscent thoughts, Itachi suddenly regretted coming here. This place was bringing back too many memories, ones that he wanted to remain dormant. They were threatening to bring out a part of him that he had left behind when he left his brother and his home. Raising himself from his seat, he decided that it was best that he moved on, even if he was a bit tired.

* * *

The sun was out and the birds were chirping melodiously outside of Kakashi's window. It wasn't long before the noise of a spring morning woke him from his sleep. It was around 7:00am. He was to meet his team in an hour, not that keeping schedules was ever the jounin's strong point.

Kakashi jumped out of bed, feeling energetic and alive. His body felt fully recovered now, and he enjoyed how light he felt as he stood up and stretched his stiff muscles out of their somnolent state. After doing so, he walked up to his window, looking out to see how nice it appeared to be outdoors. It was a rather bright and sunny day. The sun had risen and was bringing out the sort of warmth you would expect on a pleasant spring morning. This was his favorite type of day, and it made him feel rather lively. It seemed like the perfect day for training with the team.

After several more moments, Kakashi finally exited his bedroom into the hall. He moved to the front of the door aside from his own and opened it slowly to keep from generating much noise. The house was old, and the doors creaked horribly.

He peaked into the room, hoping to find a sleeping Sasuke still tucked away in his crib so that he could get some chores done. Unfortunately, Sasuke seemed to be just waking up himself. He was sitting up in his crib, rubbing his eyes and the rest of his face tiredly. Kakashi walked up to him, and once the boy finally noticed him, he looked up smiling. He suddenly seemed very awake and aware as he climbed and used the side of the crib to stand himself up.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Kakashi greeted. He lifted the toddler from his bed and Sasuke giggled cheerfully. He seemed like he was in a very bright mood as well, and Kakashi hoped that it would continue throughout the day.

"We've got a busy day Sasu-kun. We should be getting ready." Kakashi decided that a good breakfast would be the best way to start off their day, so Kakashi took Sasuke into the kitchen and sat him down. Sasuke actually seemed excited to eat as he sat in his high chair. Kakashi picked out a large jar of oatmeal, something that Sasuke hadn't tried before and hoped he would like it. Sasuke proved more than satisfied though and the jar was thoroughly emptied without any problem. Afterwards, Sasuke was handed a sippy cup full of apple juice. He sat there drinking contently as Kakashi settled on eating a simple breakfast of toast and coffee.

Sasuke had finished drinking his juice, and Kakashi decided that he best finish things up. Sasuke would need a bath now. He knew that that wouldn't be the most pleasant experience, not that Sasuke complained during baths anymore. It was actually the exact opposite. He really enjoyed them now. Maybe too much sometimes.

* * *

"Gaaaa!" The toddler proclaimed, splashing the water happily with an open palm. Splashing had become one of his favorites bath time activities, and it kept him interested in the tub, as he countlessly splashed water in every direction. Kakashi had to admit that it was slightly irritating, especially when the water started to soak into his mask and clothes, or simply end up all over the floor, but he decided that it was just best if he let Sasuke enjoy himself. What really caught Sasuke's attention even more were the bubbles and suds that would form after Kakashi added the baby bubble bath. He would grab at them, but he never got the grip he was expecting from something that looked so solid. Instead, the soapy chambers of air would just pop or slip in between his fingers, and it would leave him confused. This would always make Kakashi laugh. Kakashi felt bad for doing so, but he really couldn't help it. The confusion on the poor boy's face as he looked into his hands was just too cute.

After about half an hour, Kakashi decided to end bath time, as the water was starting to cool down. After pulling him out the tub, he wrapped him in a large towel and dried him off quickly and then dressed him in the cloths he's be wearing that day. Kakashi had made record time. He recalled how hard this had been the first time he'd done this. He had learned a little since then though, and Sasuke was actually cooperating a lot better.

Once bath time was over, Kakashi didn't have very much more to do. He looked at the time to unsurprisingly see that it was nearly half past eight. He was suppose to meet his team nearly half an hour ago . This didn't succeed in stressing Kakashi out. It's not like he was expected to ever arrive on time by this point. Naruto and Sakura wouldn't expect him for awhile longer, so being the carefree person he was, he decided that it would be a nice morning for a calm walk, not that he would ever rush to any one destination, no matter how late he was. After packing a bag that would be carrying all of Sasuke's things, and some items of his own, he left out the door, toddler in hands.

* * *

Kakashi noticed that the sky was nearly flawless as he walked along the stone path. It really was as beautiful a day as it seemed from his window. He was glad he had decided to take his time to enjoy it thoroughly. He wasn't the only one, seeing as everyone seemed just as lively as he was. Children were screaming and playing, and adults cheerfully nodded their heads in a friendly matter, non-verbally greeting Kakashi in a "Hello", "Good morning", "Nice day", or some other similar expression. Kakashi would of course nod back happily. The little bouncy toddler gained his own share of aww-remarks. Sasuke was definitely aware of the attention given by some random strangers, and he didn't seem to like it at all. He cutely hid his face in Kakashi shoulder every time he noticed a stranger's attention, and this of course would warrant more "Awwws" from everyone and a few chuckles as well, including those from Kakashi himself.

Other than the strange stares and coos he was receiving, Sasuke seemed to enjoy the walk as well.

The fresh air was a nice for the both of them, and Kakashi was enjoying the simple exercise. He was a bit disappointed that it couldn't continue for longer, but the training field wasn't quite as far from where he lived anymore, and he too soon found himself in the usual argument.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Kakashi and Sasuke was greeted with the usual by two teenagers who screeched the words simultaneously. Kakashi winced at the noise, and Sasuke just stared, slightly startled.

"I agree. Sasuke, you're very late today." Kakashi said amusedly to the toddler, although he was aiming at a gaining an interesting response from his other two already-irritated students.

"We're talking about you, Sensei!" Naruto clarified, unaware that the Jounin was just trying to annoy them further. Kakashi's attempts definitely succeeded, as both Naruto and especially Sakura looked very aggravated by their Sensei's incessant habit of being late.

After a lecture on how Kakashi was being a bad influence on Sasuke from Sakura, and the usual chatter of the greeting died down, the team got to work on what they had set out to do. Even though Kakashi couldn't train one on one with the two as he would normally do, he felt that it was important that he at the least observe and proctor training sessions. For now, it was a simple sparing match, which was more of a warm up than anything. Naruto would never go serious on the other. He would feel especially odd actually landing an attack on his only female teammate. Usually, his sparing partner was Sasuke. Now that was someone Naruto didn't mind knocking one or two to the gut. But Sakura was a different story. He would only feel guilty if he hit her. He wished Sakura felt the same. She was actually going really tough on him.

After the sparring, Kakashi had them work separately from each other. He wanted them to focus on there weaknesses today. For Naruto, it was always obviously his chakra control. Sakura's weakness was her lacking knowledge of ninjutsu. Of course, her superb handling of taijutsu combined with her advanced chakra control more than made up for it. Regardless, Kakashi felt it was a good notion to have at least a basic level in all the major styles of fighting.

Kakashi stood from a distance observing the two quietly as Sasuke sat only a couple of feet away from him on a blanket that had been spread along the grass for him and his toys. Kakashi made sure to keep a special eye on him. You really never knew what could happen when you had a curious toddler… and an international criminal after said toddler. Even though Kakashi seemed outwardly relaxed, he was on especially high alert.

Sasuke, on the other hand, paid little attention to his teammates, or anything at all happening around him for that matter, as his attention had at first been dedicated completely to his toys, though now was averted by a swallowtail that moved about dancingly in front of him. The delicate, colorful creature simultaneously peeked Sasuke's interest and caused a bit of an annoyance as it fluttered about so closely, that it tickled his sensitive features. Sasuke would turn his head and wipe his face by reflex. Regardless, the butterfly was colorful and bright, and Sasuke didn't know whether to avoid it, or try and get closer.

Naruto and Sakura had been going for a while, and Kakashi decided that they needed a rest if they were to make much more progress. It was now a little past noon when the group all sat down for a break. Naruto let himself collapse into the soft grass, panting in exhaustion. Naruto huffed as he lied sprawled on his back, allowing the steady breezes to cool him and diminish the perspiration from his throbbing temples. Sakura was also eager to catch her breath, though she didn't seem quite as fatigued.

"You're getting the hang of it. Practice makes perfect." Kakashi encouraged calmly as he took his seat next to his tired students and Sasuke. "The both of you are making excellent progress."

"Thanks Sensei." Sakura responded gratefully for the encouragement and praise. Naruto only grunted tiredly, still partly frustrated by the routine, and too tired to give a real response.

Sasuke had crawled to Kakashi now, seeming restless and upset with boredom. He had stayed remarkably well-behaved and self-entertained during a majority of the training, which pleasantly surprised the jounin. But it had become obvious that the toddler had gotten restless some time ago, and now he was just about at the end of his threshold for receiving such inattention.

"Daaaa." He said quietly, sounding desperate for something in want as he crawled into Kakashi's lap. Kakashi had the feeling he knew what the poor boy's problem was. He had become good at reading Sasuke's moods.

"Is he tired, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think so, but he is bored, and I think he just wants a little attention."

"Aww." Sakura cooed as Sasuke snuggled against Kakashi and looked up into the jounin's face yearningly. Sasuke was just so sweet and adorable as a baby.

Kakashi patted Sasuke on the head warmly, hoping to lift the lonely child's mood. "Sometimes, I'm still surprised by how affectionate he can be in this state." He mentioned to Sakura, smiling slightly.

"Hmmph. Spoiled is more like it if you ask me." Naruto suddenly rolled off his back proclaiming. "…And I know who spoiled him." He teased tunefully, pointing accusingly at Kakashi as he began to laugh out loud. Sakura giggled along with her silly teammate.

"Wha- I didn't spoil him." Kakashi said defiantly. Neither seemed to believe that though. Naruto and Sakura were catching on, and they knew for a fact that Sasuke acted differently around Kakashi, and it wasn't simply for the reason that he was a baby. "You two really think so?" Kakashi asked, now seriously wondering.

"Yea-"

"No." Sakura interrupted Naruto's words, punching him playfully in the left arm. "He's probably just gotten attached to you. Children, especially at his current age, always form close bonds with their parental figures. Since you're the closest to a parent he has, it's only natural that he would like to be so close to you all the time. Whether Tsunade-Sama can change him back in the mean time or not, for the time being, you're already basically like a dad to him."

"Yeah. That, and you spoiled 'im." Naruto finished still halve-teasing his sensei as he lifted himself into a sitting position. "Face it sensei. You're already 'Dada' as far as lil' teme's concerned."

Sasuke began to pull at Kakashi right sleeve with both hands. He looked up at Kakashi as a slightly irritated hum-like moan escaped his pouted lips. "I don't know." Kakashi said unsurely as he noticed Sasuke again and looked down on him. Kakashi was really becoming quite attached himself. He never thought that he was the type to care for children much. But Sasuke was proving him wrong. He enjoyed having Sasuke, and he had to admit that there was this new bond with him that he hadn't had before now. Maybe it was some sort of parental bond, because sometimes, he really did feel like a father rather than just Sasuke's guardian or caretaker, and the feeling was becoming increasingly more occurring. Kakashi didn't imagine Sasuke felt that same connection though. Not yet.

He picked Sasuke up and held him upright against his chest. "Maybe I have just spoiled you." He concluded with a chuckle as he looked at Sasuke smiling. Sasuke looked at him for a moment, seeming contemplative about something. Kakashi wondered what was going through the toddler's mind when suddenly, Sasuke did something so unexpected, that it caught everyone completely off guard.

"Da…da." The word was muttered so unexpectedly that Kakashi thought he might have been hearing things. Sasuke looked as if he himself wondered what he had said or if he had said it correctly.

"Wh-What did you s-say, Sasuke?" Kakashi stuttered.

"Dada." Sasuke said with more confidence, imitating Naruto's mock remarks, except the boy was serious. Sasuke seemed to be looking at Kakashi now for approval, but at that moment, Kakashi's face held nothing but shock and surprise. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Sasuke had just spoke the first real word he'd heard from him, and he'd called him "Dada". The surprised Sensei just couldn't pull himself together and his expression articulated that well enough. Sasuke just took it as a one of Kakashi's games of making odd faces. "Dada!" He exclaimed excitedly with a giggle, clearly addressing the man in front of him as he reached up to touch the man's face playfully.

"S-Sasuke." Kakashi said softly as a warm smile surfaced.

Naruto and Sakura looked from the toddler to Kakashi, and then to one another. They were surprised, but their astonishment eventually passed, and they soon found themselves smiling along with Kakashi at the interesting situation.

"Heh. I think Sasuke just proved our point." Naruto said with an air of victory about him. It was true. Sasuke had just made it very clear. Whether or not it was said otherwise, to Sasuke, Kakashi was indeed his Dad.

* * *

It wasn't hard for Itachi to find Naruto. It's not like he was actually ever in hiding and he had encountered him before, learning enough about him to locate him again. Itachi didn't have to look far to find his target, though he was surprised to see that there were a few anbu suspiciously hanging around. Perhaps Konoha was giving more effort to protect the Jinchuuriki after all. They were no problem however for Itachi to simply sneak around. He was well trained in that area. He could go anywhere nearly completely unnoticed. His careful movements and perfectly masked chakra were enough.

Once he'd gotten close enough to see clearly without being noticed, the team was already deep into training. This would be a good time to observe some of Naruto's stronger points as well as his weaknesses. It was no surprise when he'd seen the grey-haired sensei and pink-headed teammate accompanying Naruto. He noticed the young child with Kakashi as well, but didn't pay much more notice than that. He didn't even care to look closely at it's features. He was there for one reason, and one only. So he sat there calmly in the high branch of a tree, silently observing until one little detail caught his attention. As the group's training continued, he'd realized that one member was not amongst them. He couldn't help but be a little curious as to why. He pushed it to the back of his mind. Sasuke wasn't his concern.

He watched closely for some time longer until the two students whom were present decided to finally take a break. Only now, when there was nothing much to watch did Itachi, out of tedium, pay closer attention to the small child whom Kakashi stuck close to throughout the day. It was apparent the man was in charge of looking after it. He concluded the kid's parents were probably the clients of some mission. Perhaps their little boy needed protecting. Heir to royalty, maybe. They loved to hire ninja. A group of bodyguards and babysitters all in one highly-trained package. What could be better? But as Itachi looked closer for any evidence of superfluity, he caught a glimpse of the child's features, and instantly noticed a vague familiarity. Something had seemed oddly recognizable, but he needed a closer look. It was a risky gamble, but he decided to venture just a little closer.

He traveled down from his original position, and no longer hid in the branches, but was down on the ground confining himself to the shadows of the trees that lied just outside the field. From that distance, he could get a closer look at the little boy; the raven hair, the dark onyx eyes, everything. He took in the features, astonished by the resemblance he had to his little brother at that age. He thought again at his brother's absence and returned to the presence of the toddler. It all just had to be coincidence, he reasoned.

Itachi suddenly realized that upon moving closer, he had become within earshot and he listened closely to the chatter that the shinobi were making. That's when he heard it. They were talking about the boy whom they had most certainly just referred to as "Sasuke". Itachi was sure he heard correctly.

Neither his facial expressions nor his body movements would give it away, but inwardly, Itachi was shaken and absolutely petrified beyond words. He felt his breathing hitch and his body froze in utter disbelief. The pain in his head took a dramatic upraise. He suddenly felt confused and conflicted, about what, he wasn't sure. The sight of his, quite literally now "baby brother," had bought on a mental and, slightly emotional, reaction in the male that couldn't be easily shaken by even someone like Itachi.

It was clear that something odd had transpired, and he found himself wondering what exactly. He was willing to bet it had to do with Orochimaru, as he knew very well by now that Sasuke was to that snake as Naruto was to the Akatsuki. Still, this was none of Itachi's area of business. He wasn't in Konoha to learn about Orochimaru's convoluted plots, or what he had in store for his brother. He was in Konoha to observe the Jinchuuriki. But still…

Itachi thought for a moment over everything. He wasn't the type to let curiosity get the better of him, but this was most aberrant. As long as he fulfilled his mission, what could it hurt if he silently satisfied his inquisitiveness on the side, though he admitted, it may slow progress. Perhaps his time in Konoha would have to go slightly longer than expected.

**-End**

* * *

Amaterasu333

Now that Itachi has found out about his Otouto, what could he plan on doing? Will he act on this peculiar incident? Will It put Sasuke's life in more danger? Will it affect the storyline at all? You'll all have to stay tuned to find out.

Haha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for reading. :)

Note:

**Inquirere**

**Latin**

**Etymology: From in ("in, at, on; into") + quaero ("seek, look for").**

**Literal meaning: To seek into**

**To seek after/ To inquire/ To search into/ To investigate/To Pry/To Examine.**


	13. Praedicamentum

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

**Chapter 13:** _Praedicamentum_

The sounds from the night before no longer filled the early morning air. As the sky turned from black to a dark blue, the blinking stars began to flicker away one by one, as if shutting themselves tight before the sunlight rested it's bright warm gaze upon them. The chirping of the crickets were only now beginning to settle down, and the nocturnal creatures that lurked within the forests greens were escaping to their asylums and dens to sleep in another day. It was the calm of "blue hour" that enveloped the peaceful forestry, but out of the quiet twilight, unsettling noises stirred, and it appeared the peace would not endure.

Three figures appeared, thier silhouettes slipping quietly between the branches and over the jagged rocks and vines, not stopping until they had found their destination. It was a ruggedly old-appearing structure, aged and weathered from years of nature's abuse. The edifice seemed oddly misplaced among the trees and so far from any other structures, but the three knew the purpose for it's eccentric location. It was no ordinary old building, but a prison, and somewhere within the deep cemented walls were their first target.

The three stared at the daunting structure from afar, feeling it's intimidation stare straight through to their cores. They dared not get much closer for now, knowing that it was not abandoned, and there were guards likely surrounding the area. Either way, they would find some way to penetrate the penal's defenses, and accomplish what they had come to do. But first was the matter of pinpointing the target, as well as those who would certainly be a problem in the approaching moments.

"Well Karin" A silver-haired boy addressed impatiently to the only female of the trio. "Can you get a lock on 'em or not?" He sneered angrily revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, almost piranha-like in nature. His mounting inpatients did not faze the girl at all as she only scoffed, brushing the boy's remarks away.

"I will if you give me time, so shut up, Suigetsu." she said with even more ferociousness than him, her red eyes and bright red hair seeming to match her anger.

The third of the three, even though the oldest, decided to take the back seat as always, letting his two squabbling teammates overlook the mission. He remained there, as silent as the surrounding trees, wishing that he wasn't there at all. He didn't want to be in this position. He didn't want to be on a mission, especially this kind. He almost wished he had refused Orochimaru, and faced the consequences. Even if his freedom was on the line, he wasn't sure if the price he paid for it was worth it.

The orange-haired male sighed silently above his teammates heads as he watched Karin perform her chakra sensing abilities. They were the one real key to locating the old ruined stronghold, and now they would pinpoint the first objective of their long journey to the land of fire.

"Got em'. He's appears to be high up, as if he's on the third, or maybe fourth floor." Karin said recognizing a distinctive chakra within the large prison. "But be careful. There are seven other noticeable sources of chakra. From the feel of it, they're pretty highly ranked. I sure these guards won't be easy to take down." The girl finished as she looked to her two male companions.

"Well, That's where me and Juugo come in." Suigetsu smirked, again allowing his teeth to show, only it was now in amusement and excitement rather than anger and irritation.

* * *

How long had he been there. He couldn't remember. It was nearly impossible to make out the time that passed in the constant darkness. The cell was kept this way to purposely obscure his sense of time. He was familiar with this sort of psychological play on prisoner's mind. He, after all, was Orochimaru's apprentice and assistant.

Kabuto paced back and forth, from one wall to the next, half murmuring to himself. He was exceedingly restless as he had been confined for well beyond his breaking point, whatever that was. He hated the fact that he was literally caged in such a small cell. Kabuto adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, before finally sitting back down on his cot to relax. As he took his seat and reclined his back against the wall lying against a side of the bed, he had to wonder which was worse, Konoha's punishment, or Orochimaru's.

He'd failed his master, and he was curious as to how he must have reacted. Kabuto could see him being furious. Maybe Konoha really was the lesser evil. But then again, he had no idea what the Hokage would decide to do with him later. So far, she had only been interrogating him, hoping to find some details as to the jutsu that was placed on Sasuke and what else Orochimaru might have been up to. Kabuto had a lot of the Snake Sannin's secrets stored in his mind, but as it turned out, A cure to Sasuke's condition wasn't one of them. He pretended to simply be withholding the information at a time, but eventually admitted that he simply did not know how to change the Uchiha to his original state. That was probably the most truth he'd ever told in his life whether the blond Hokage believed him or not. The jutsu that he'd used was in a stage he liked to call 'pre-completion', because in his opinion, it wasn't truly whole and finished until every single angle of it was worked out. Though it could be considered complete, he was not aware of how to reverse it. He had never gotten the chance to research it enough to work out that detail. That was the angle he was missing.

Not that any of this concerned him. He couldn't care whether or not the Uchiha brat was a toddler for the rest of his days. He just wanted to get out of the stupidly cramped prison. He wished the Hokage had left him back in Konoha's prisons. At least the conditions were a little less suffocating there. Now he had been relocated to a area outside of the village. He knew that it's main purpose was to hold prisoners like himself. Those who needed to be kept a close eye on. For such a large place, one might think that their would be more people. There were few prisoners along with him, less than one hundred he'd heard, and all were considered so dangerous to Konoha's safety, that they were placed in the same solitary confinement as he, a few miles outside of Konoha. There were several highly ranked security guards for almost every inmate, just to make sure that each one stayed sufficiently contained, and prisoner holding areas were far in-between, which made it easier to keep them under even tighter scrutiny. Just the thought of this made Kabuto feel disgusted.

He sulked over his circumstances for a while longer before he heard a faint noise coming from somewhere beyond his tiny cell. He raised himself from his position immediately. The closer he listened, the more he was able to identify the sounds of muffled screaming and clashing objects. It sounded like there was a struggle happening, and a bloody one at that. The sounds became louder and Kabuto prepared himself in case he would have to try and defend himself. The noises quieted down, but he still heard the sound of footsteps, now right outside his door. Without warning, the door was blown open by some sort of impact. Kabuto adjusted his glasses to get a better look at the figure now standing in the doorway as a cloud of airborne dust settled back to the ground. The figure's right arm seemed swollen with bulging muscles and was disproportionate from the rest of his body. The intruders face suddenly held a toothy smirk that stretched up an entire side of his face, revealing a very familiar and distinctive smile. It didn't take long before Kabuto recognized the intruder.

"Well. Looks like my wish to get out of here's been granted." Kabuto said with a smirk.

8 hours later

* * *

was another relatively peaceful day for team 7 that turned out to be nice for training. The air beamed with warmth and was as refreshing as it had been the day before. The sky was a stainless blue with the exception of an occasional white billowy cloud that would lazily float by every now and again. It was hard to believe that a small storm would form later on in the week as he heard from the weather reports. Winter always managed to sneak in another shower. Everything was off to a great start, but then suddenly, the peace was interrupted by a screeching from up above. Though Naruto and Sakura paid little attention to the noise, simply dismissing it as one of the countless wild birds, Kakashi recognized it instantaneously and his head shot heavenward to confirm the origin of the sound.

A messenger hawk bellowed in the sky, it's distinctive screeching cry signaling an important message in need of desperate relay. It circled around the field a few times and Kakashi realized that the hawk had been in search of him as it began to swoop down suddenly in his direction. The man lifted his arm involuntarily due to habit, giving the feathered messenger a place to land. As Kakashi untied the note from the graceful creature's talon, he could not imagine what possibly awaited in the folds of the sheet of white paper. He opened the note to see that it was from the Hokage. His eyes scanned the note anxiously, and what he dreaded was indeed on the now treacherous sheet. To the normal eye, it hardly appeared to be nothing more but a modest summons to the Hokage tower. To a experienced Jounin such as himself, it could mean something so possibly grave, that the Hokage demanded to speak to him in person. And that marked a premature end to his good day.

* * *

Now Kakashi stood haplessly at the door to Tsunade's office, unsure of whether he was ready to enter the room. Naruto and Sakura stood a little bit behind him, staring at one another, and then back at their apparently very troubled sensei.

"Yo, Kakashi Sensei. C'mon. What's the worse Grandma has to say? Can't be that bad." Naruto said, arms folded idly behind his head. He saw the nervousness in Kakashi and he though that maybe the man was being a slight bit over-reactive.

Sakura held a sleeping Sasuke in her arms as she heard Naruto speak. She inwardly scolded her friend for not taking the situation seriously, though she had to admit that it was too early to be as worked up as her sensei.

"Sensei, Do you think it's bad news? I mean, Naruto has a point. Maybe you're over thinking this. It could be nothing…right?" Sakura said delicately, hoping to ease her Sensei's nerves, but he could only lower his gaze and shake his head, sighing distrustfully.

"Well, I guess we'll have to see." He said finally. "You two stay here and look after Sasuke. I think she may want to see me alone right now." The two nodded and then watched as Kakashi left through the Hokage's door.

Kakashi entered Tsunade's office tentatively, restless to hear what she wanted to talk to him about. He was hoping for something positive and cheery for a change, but his better senses were telling him that it was most likely the polar opposite.

"Kakashi. Glad you could come in such short notice." The tone in the Hokage's voice was very unusual for the woman. She seemed to have a great deal on her mind and she looked deeply troubled. Her eyes looked tired and her face, rigid and emotionless. It made Kakashi nervous to wonder what could make the usual bright Hokage so quiet and pensive-looking.

"Of course." Kakashi responded after a moment. "Is something wrong?"

"Well…I have some worrying information I need to discuss with you. Why don't you take a seat." Kakashi wasn't surprised to hear that his suspicion was confirmed. He took the woman's advice and took a seat on the other side of her desk.

"There's been troubling signs lately. I'm afraid it might be pointing towards future trouble. Firstly, it seems the Akatsuki have been causing trouble lately. There have been multiple spottings in several locations, particularly in Kumogakure. So, obviously, there's a chance that they're sneaking about in Fire country as well. But that not the worst of it…" Tsunade paused, as if trying to give Kakashi time to prepare for the bad news. To be honest, she had to prepare herself, because in all honesty, she didn't want to admit to herself the truth. It was a situation where denial was furiously persistent.

"…To make matters even more unpredictable, and undeniably worse, It seems the high security prison outside of Konoha was somehow breeched. Kabuto has escaped as a result of the chaos, or rather, his escape was the goal of the assailants to began with. It seems Orochimaru is already up to no good right now as well." Tsunade admitted gravely.

Kakashi eyes widened. Akatsuki was bad enough, but to hear this as well. This news was very unsettling. He didn't want to have to deal with Orochimaru again right now…or ever. He was able to just barely protect Sasuke last time, and he knew that the next attempt to get Sasuke would be even worse. But he had to know it was coming. Without any doubt, Orochimaru was surely coming for Sasuke again. Kakashi only wished for more time. And then, there's the possibility of Akatsuki approaching as well to worry about. Kakashi was just as worried for Naruto's safety as well as the village's security which as a whole would be inevitably affected by all of this. One of the two problems was more than enough to deal with, but with the possibility of having to deal with both, everything was made exponentially worse. Of course, this must have deeply worried Tsunade as well, and Kakashi understood why she seemed in such a depressed condition

"Kakashi-San." Tsunade snapped him out of his thoughts. "Let's try to stay focused here." Tsunade was right. Panicking would help no one right now. He had to maintain a clear head right now, more than ever.

"I'm dispatching a search and secure team to locate Kabuto as we speak."

"Wait, you haven't sent any teams out yet!" Kakashi said surprised. At this rate, by the time the search team organized themselves, Kabuto could be miles away, or even completely out of reach, giving him far too much time to plan some kind of retaliation.

"These things take time Kakashi. I can't just send some team running wildly into Kabuto and a group of ninja who we know nothing about, who could potentially be of an ANBU or even higher rank. Besides, the attack was sudden and messy, which has managed to get information completely disorganized, and information was not received to me but a couple hours ago, several hours after the incident occurred. Don't worry. We'll get our hand on Kabuto soon enough. As for Akatsuki, there is no definitive proof of them being in Fire Country, but just to be on the safe side…" Tsunade paused, wishing she didn't have to tell Kakashi the rest. "There will have to be an increase in the number of capable shinobi stationed at the borders of Fire Country and around the village itself."

"Oh… I see." Kakashi still wasn't sure what Tsunade was getting at. Placing more shinobi on sentinel duty was the usual course of action in this sort of situation, and was pretty much regarded as a smart decision, yet the tone in Tsunade's voice implicated regret and guilt in having to take such an action. There had to be more to it. "Is there something wrong, Hokage-Sama?" He asked worriedly.

"The problem is that we are short on Jounin-or-above-level shinobi capable in this sort of situation. Many of them are either already stationed, away on missions, being sent after Kabuto, or simply unavailable due to a myriad of reasons. I'm sorry to have to do this, but the ANBU that have been provided for you can no longer be afforded." She broke the news uneasily to the jounin.

"What? But with Kabuto out there, Sasuke needs all the protection he can get."

"Look, I know that this seems unfair, but I have no choice. It's not just my call."

"I know, but-"

The council is heavily involved in this decision-making. I'm not allowed to make unilateral decisions in high stake situations involving two major enemies and the safety of the village." Kakashi opened his mouth again to protest but Tsunade quickly stopped him.

"I'm sorry Kakashi." She voiced sternly. "I fear for your student's safety as well, but the overall safety of the village and the Fire Country is more significant right now. It's for the better." Tsuanade out voiced Kakashi for the last time.

Tsunade didn't give Kakashi the chance to remonstrate, so apparently, there was no room for argument. Kakashi was devastated. He never enjoyed being watched so thoroughly, but he never objected to it either since it was for Sasuke's safety. Now, the added protection the ANBU provided was being taken when it was needed the most, and there was nothing he could do about it. Kakashi understood Tsunade's point and understood that it had to be done for the better of Konoha. The village was more valuable than just a couple of people. That was what his rational side told him, but another side of him felt a slight sense of betrayal. He couldn't help but be troubled by this news, and feeling a little bitter at the entire situation.

"Yes, I understand." Kakashi responded quietly, now sounding just as depressed as the woman did.

"I know you're upset, but you must know what has to be done. Besides, the added protection to the village as a whole will still give Sasuke a greater chance at safety, even if only indirectly. Moreover, as I mentioned, there's no evidence that either Orochimaru or Akatsuki are targeting the village at this very moment. We may still have time, but precaution doesn't hurt." Tsunade now attempted to sound a little less dire and dismal, hoping to cheer both her and the jounin up a little.

"…So there's no reason to panic yet. Just be on your guard. I've already warned most of the jounin to keep a close eye out. Remind Naruto as well, and I would recommend he doesn't go out alone training in any isolated areas. You or another Jounin should stay close to him." Kakashi nodded.

"And as for Sasuke, we both know that it's very crucial to take any extra measures with him right now, him being in his current vulnerability. I thought it would be a good idea to place tracking seals on the both of you, so that if anything happened, you're locations could be known instantly, that is until the seals are inevitably discovered and removed. Either way, it would add a little peace of mind." This actually managed to brighten Kakashi's mood up a bit. Tracking seals couldn't replace actual guards, but it would make a difference.

"Unfortunately, there is no one available right now to perform the necessary procedure due to the current emergency situation." And just as quickly, his mood went crashing harshly into the pits of his stomach again. 'Why mention it then.' Kakashi thought mentally, silently sulking.

"Procedure? I didn't know it was so complicated." Kakashi was never familiar with tracking jutsus and had to admit that it was something he never took the time to study. Whenever he wanted to find someone, his Ninken were all he needed. But in his defense, the jutsu was usually studied in a specialized division of training separate from his own during his ANBU days.

"It's not as simple as you may think, and the most well developed of the technique requires more than one person to place the seal. As I said, I don't have the necessary skills to perform that jutsu, but there is another technique that can be used that I can perform, though I can't say how much it'll actually help. It's more for Sasuke's safety than yours, I'm afraid." Kakashi was fine with this. He wasn't the defenseless one. He could protect himself.

"Well, this jutsu wouldn't normally be used in this sort of situation. Actually, it's not even used much at all anymore. I doubt you're familiar with it." She said, pulling out a small scroll.

Kakashi looked closely as she unraveled the slip from it's wooden wheel. It wasn't the usual sheet of paper that included words, yet it wasn't completely blank. The sheet was filled with a series of square compartment like patterns, some of which had spherical shapes written into them, and others, empty and hollow. Tsunade was correct when she assumed Kakashi wouldn't recognize it. He couldn't figure any jutsu that required the use of any such scroll.

"This is probably the first time you've seen this?" Tsunade asked Kakashi and he of course nodded his head.

"Yes ma'am. I can't recall a scroll like this one."

"This sort of jutsu is pretty straightforward and rather old. You could consider it an earlier form of the tracking jutsu we have now. It provided a fairly vague idea of what was going on in the battlefield.

"How vague?"

"Well, it could tell you if a shinobi was dead or not." Kakashi waited for more, but that seemed to be it until Tsunade finally spoke again. "That about it Kakashi. That's all it can do." Well Kakashi wasn't expecting it to be that vague. No physical status readings, chakra level readings, physical location. There was almost nothing helpful, What was the point of that?

"How does that help?"

"Just let me finish. The jutsu wasn't originally developed for anything this technical. During the more serious missions, it could basically tell you if a mission was a success or failure. Of course, seeing that a shinobi is dead obviously means failure. More often, it was used during high stake situation, like a large scale battle or war for example. Each shinobi of a nation may have the jutsu placed on them, and as time passed, the death toll could easily be amassed and identified. If anything, this jutsu was more of a tool for collecting information." Kakashi remained quiet. He still wasn't sure how this was suppose to help him today, but the history of the jutsu was interesting. He thought he'd remain quiet. Soon Tsunade went on to elucidate exactly how the jutsu worked. She held the scroll up to Kakashi as she explained.

"The black marks represent those whom this jutsu has been preformed on. It doesn't really track one's health status or their movement, like I said, it's rather archaic and it's not really used often anymore, but anyway," She pointed at one of the circular marks as she explained. "The mark filling this spot tells me that this particular shinobi corresponding with this mark is still alive…somewhere. However…" She continued pointing towards another place on the sheet where there appeared to have once been a similar mark, but was now faded and nearly erased completely. "This space once contained a similar mark, but it began to fade the moment the shinobi was killed, or simply died from old age."

"I see. It seems simple enough, but…um, not to seem disrespectful. Is there really a point to using this jutsu? What good will it do if it can only tell us when Sasuke's…dead?" Tsunade, suddenly snapping out of her serious demeanor began to laugh at the oblivious Jounin. She could understand now why Kakashi face held so much confusion, evena fter the explanation. Of course, placing the seal on Sasuke wouldn't work. Seeing Tsunade laugh, seemingly at him, made Kakashi even more clueless.

"I'm not going to perform the jutsu on the kid. I'm going to place one of these seals on you."

"Me!"

"Yes, you. If Orochimaru ever got his hands on the boy in the first place, he wouldn't dream of killing him . If they're out to kill anyone, it's you Kakashi. You're the main obstacle standing between Orochimaru and his goals. If something happens to you, I'll know instantly, and I would have assumed that Sasuke has been taken, and send a rescue squad immediately. As I said, this is for Sasuke's safety, not yours.

"So in other words, this doesn't do a single helpful thing, until I'm dead." Kakashi clarified dully.

"Precisely." She watched amused as the jounin's fell into even more of a frown that was obvious, even underneath the mask.

"The news just get better and better." The man said sarcastically, sounding dead inside.

"Look, It's only temporary, until I can get a more suitable tracking seal placed on you two. Unlike this rather simple one here, it will provide far more information that could make a difference. For now, however, this'll have to do."

"Fine. I guess it's better than nothing."

"Very well, then. Take off the glove and hold out your right palm so I can perform the jutsu." Kakashi did as Tsunade instructed, as she centered the scroll she had been demonstrating earlier on the desktop. She performed a few hand signs and placed a glowing hand on an empty slot on the sheet of paper. The page glowed slightly. "Now, force chakra into your palm and place it face down there." Kakashi placed his hand down in the glowing center and almost instantly pulled away from the searing sensation he felt. He looked at his hand first to see the apparent seal placed on there. One of the boxes on the scroll was filled with an identical mark.

"Is that it?" He asked unsurely as he studied the mark on his slightly achy hand.

"Yes. You're done. Your chakra has been infused into the scroll and the seal placed on your palm. Now remember. This will not keep you or Sasuke safe. It's more of a silent alarm that will only benefit the boy by notifying me. You still need to keep your guard up, Kakashi-San. Your safety is just as important."

Kakashi nodded. "We're all going to have to be careful. Dealing with Orochimaru and Kabuto, who knows what's in store for us."

"We'll get through the danger as we've always have, I'm sure." Tsunade's spoke with a sureness that made Kakashi feel a bit better. He knew that this was harder for her to deal with than it was for him. If she could show so much confidence, then he had to at least try to stay positive.

A sudden shrill cry broke Kakashi out of his thoughts and sure enough he recognized it. "Sounds like Sasuke up from his nap. I should get back to the team now. I'll give them the news as well and make sure they understand the situation. Thank you Tsunade." He bowed, and turned around, heading toward the exit.

"Take to heart what I said. Be careful out there, and don't screw up too badly. Remember, I'll be the first to know if you do." Tsunade smiled dark-humouredly.

"Ha Ha." Kakashi responded with a obviously false laugh. "No kidding. I'll be sure to remember." Kakashi said as he left the room. "Thanks again Hokage-Sama" He said sincerely. Those were his last word before he exited the room.

* * *

Unaware to either Tsunade or Kakashi, a silent eavesdropper had been listening from outside the window. His dark raven-like hair blew in the breeze and his onyx eyes remained closed, as he concentrated heavily on the words being exchanged.

"Kisame. You clumsy idiot." Itachi remarked as he heard the part about Akatsuki, knowing that it was his partner that had raised suspicion by not being careful enough. This would make his mission to observe Naruto tougher, but he could manage. And then he heard the part about Kabuto. This caught his attention. The following words between the two confirmed his theory about Sasuke. Orochimaru had had something to do with his little brother's transformation. Orochimaru was always persistent, Itachi remarked to himself, but the method the snake-man was using now seemed absolutely crazy at best.

Itachi could only wonder what would happen next to his little brother, with only his sensei as his protection. Itachi had been acquainted with Kakashi before and felt that he had some skills indeed, but he also felt that it was not enough to handle Orochimaru when the time inevitably came.

It didn't matter anyway. Itachi would remain disinterested and impartial to it all, no matter what happened. He leaned against the side of the building as he heard a familiar sounding child's cry and Kakashi soon left the conversation behind.

* * *

Kakashi had had his share of experiences dealing with Akatsuki and Orochimaru, and he knew that regardless of how much protection there was for him, his students, and the village overall, it was a dangerous situation. Dealing with both alone could be catastrophic. Dealing with it would have to suffice though. Nothing but being as prepared as possible could be done.

It had been a long day and Kakashi was glad to arrive home to rest. The ANBU were already packed up, and there was not a trace of them left. He actually missed them greeting him as he approached his house. As he stepped in and proceeded to put Sasuke down, he noticed the absence of the chakra signatures that belonged to the ANBU members that were there just hours ago.

"Dada" A soft voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked to Sasuke who was standing at his knee. As always, the small child seemed to be able to sense that something was wrong. He'd come to understand Kakashi's different moods as Kakashi had his.

"It's Okay." Kakashi breathed sadly messing up the boy's hair as he brushed it softly. He didn't have the strength to sound more assuring. There was too much worry tugging at his mind. But worrying wouldn't get him anywhere. It never did. The following days would be the most uncertain, difficult, harrowing days for everyone. It would most certainly be a trial, but not his alone. He could only hope and have faith that things would turn out alright. Hope and faith was all he was going on, but they would have to be enough.

Sasuke reached up grabbing Kakashi's still-aching hand, that even while the little boy was standing, it was still just in arms reach. They gripped each other's hands softly and Sasuke smiled at the warmth of the contact between himself and his sad father. There was a small giggle and his little teeth were showing, and suddenly, Kakashi found the strength to smile too.

-End

* * *

Amaterasu333

Had writer's block for a while. Sorry guys. Thanks for being so incredibly patient . This chapter has been difficult for me. I wanted to create a sense of tension, but I just wasn't feeling it, (maybe because I'm the writer). What do you guys think? I just didn't know how to execute it properly, and even now, I feel it could be better, but I also know that this is as good as it's going to get. I don't know. Anyway, I thank you all for your support and the wonderful reviews of the previous chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this one, and will be looking forward to the next. Thank you all again.

**_Praedicamentum _**

**Latin**

Etymology: praedico ("declare, proclaim,")

Literal meaning: Predicament


	14. Aegrus

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hey guys. I know it's been a little bit of time, and I'm sorry about that. This chapter isn't quite as long as some of my last chapter have been, but I still think it's a nice length. If this doesn't slake your appetite however, I plan on updating chapter 15 much sooner. Hopefully in a week or two from now, since this one is a little short. I won't make any promises just in case, but it's pretty likely that I'll update soon.

I also want to give a shoutout to my last reviewer who I appreciate very much.

**SasukeUchihaGuardian**

**Prescripto13**

**magicaltoothbrush**

**Darkflower 93**

And a special reviewer from my last update, **narutofan**, who gave 13 reviews, one for every chapter.

I appreciate each review very much, and take into consideration what you enjoy and what you don't. So far, my reviews are very positive, and it makes me feel great to know that you guys continue to enjoy my writing.

I hope enjoys guys enjoy this. It's not the pointless filler it may seem to be. Promise.

* * *

**Chapter 14:** _Aegrus_

* * *

Kabuto would have never thought that out of all the idiots Orochimaru could have sent, it would be the three idiots bumbling around in front of his eyes, arguing to one another out of utter confusion of what to do next. It had been nearly 3 days since Kabuto had regained his freedom, but if he was going to have to remain so idle for all this time, he might as well had remained in prison. With the self-declared team hebi leading the campaign, the initial surprise of their perplexity wore off him quickly once he remembered who exactly he was dealing with. Kabuto had to admit that he was surprised they were able to get him freed from Konoha's imprisonment. Still, they had made it such a horribly messy and noisy affair, it was certain that the next objective would be nearly impossible with so much alert out. Stealth was obviously not one of the three ninja strongpoints. They depended on the element of surprise and then used strength to shove their way to the goal, but really, how well would it work if Konoha was now very much aware of them.

"You're all going to die. It doesn't matter what you do next." Kabuto broke the squabbling with a dark grin aimed at the trio. Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo looked at him surprised by the sudden comment, not finding the same amusement as he did. Obviously, the three felt offended, and Suigetsu and Karin made it clear as they sent angry glares Kabuto's way.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Suigetsu voiced angrily.

"You have a lot of nerves saying something like that. We just saved your sorry ass from prison." Karin argued.

"You saved me because of surprise and pure luck. If you think you can pull that stunt off again, especially while in Konoha, then Konoha's going to catch and kill you all before you've gotten anywhere near Uchiha. The element of surprise is not going to work so easily anymore, not by itself. You're going to have to be smart about it and plan the right moment. You're going to have to be closer to the target than outside Konoha's gates to even believe that the element of surprise is going to help you."

"Yeah, and I guess your plan worked perfectly, which is exactly why we're suppose to take you back to Orochimaru for your punishment." Suigetsu replied teasingly and sarcastically. Kabuto grimaced and remained quiet, not finding the words to recoil the remark.

"M-maybe Kabuto-San's right. I don't think we're going to succeed with the same strategy twice. We're going to need more stealth than before." Juugo voiced his opinion apprehensively. It was one of the few times he'd spoken throughout the entire time the disorganized team was on the mission.

"Well what then? Would anyone happen to have some brilliant scheme to get us through this?" Suigetsu huffed, folding his arms. This whole thing really was starting to annoy him.

"Leave that part to me."

"You're part of the reason we're here in the first place. Who put you in charge. You're in no place to be placing orders and coming up with the plan." Karin spoke, anger again raising in her voice.

"Fine. You're all on your on." At those words, the three disorganized shinobi looked toward one another questioningly. They knew that plans were none of their strong points, and it was already obvious that none of them had a single conceptual thought of how to go about the next portion of their mission. They all realized that they had been defeated. Kabuto already knew that the three would have no clue what to do or in what direction to take. He was the most capable of planning out a mission. They had no choice but to turn to him.

"Fine." Suigetsu and Karin said simultaneously, both looking at Kabuto with a sneer. "This way, we can all end up in prison together. It'll be fun." Suigetsu added in dry humoredly.

* * *

It had been nearly 3 days since Tsunade gave Kakashi the news of Kabuto's escape and Akatsuki's trouble making. As expected, everyone was on alert for the slightest sign of trouble. Out of anyone, Kakashi was one of the most concerned. He, after all, was the sensei to the two targets Konoha's greatest enemies were after. It was very nerve-racking to say the least, but so far, things seemed to be going fine. Maybe Orochimaru had finally given up, and perhaps Akatsuki had did the same once they were found out.

He sighed.

"Yeah, Sure they've givin up." He said sarcastically to himself as he looked out the window into the gathering darkness of the late evening hours. As if it could ever be so simple and easy. The dark made him nervous. If anything was going to happen, it would be at night which once was again approaching, encroaching on Kakashi and all of Konoha. But he attempted to edge away the worry and occupy his mind with something else instead. He looked at Sasuke and it was evident that the day had worn the boy out. He rubbed his eyes with balled fist, and the following yawn confirmed it.

"Sleepy, eh Sasuke?"

"…" Sasuke said nothing and Kakashi's brows crinkled once again that day. He was honestly concerned. Sasuke had recently been talking much more and actually finding other words to use beside Dada. He had also usually been full of energy and playful, but today, he just seemed tired and far too quiet. He hadn't known Sasuke so quiet since Kakashi had first become his guardian.

"Alright then. You don't have to say anything." Kakashi stated quietly, picking Sasuke up to get him ready for bed. It was far from the usual routine. Sasuke refused to eat and attempting to feed him anyway simply turned into a mess. When it came time for a bath, he hadn't splashed once, or played just a little bit. Needless to say, it wasn't long before Sasuke was ready for bed in a fraction the time it would normally take.

Kakashi was now carrying Sasuke to his room to lay him down, when soft coughs erupted from Sasuke's throat. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it didn't fail to worry Kakashi even more. He rubbed Sasuke back gently as he entered the boy's bedroom and sat him in bed.

"Hey, don't be gettin' sick on me, 'kay." That was exactly what Kakashi feared it was. It would explain his other odd behaviors of the day. He made Sasuke lay down in his bed and he covered him up in the blankets while the thought of the child being sick ran through the back of his mind.

"Night Sasuke. " He said before he left the already half-asleep boy alone.

* * *

Itachi eyes opened dully. The waxing light of the sun rising above the horizon made his eyes strain and his head burned in dull pain. He had gotten little sleep and he felt exhausted. His lids felt heavy and his head felt swollen with an intense grogginess. He noticed that he was sweating slightly at his head and his body didn't feel like moving at all. It had been a restless night of unwanted dreams, which felt more like nightmares than anything. He found himself with no motivation to continue on with his mission. He just wanted to sit there…forever.

For several minutes, all Itachi could do was sit there, frozen in thought, as if he was caste in pure iron. Only his silky strands of hair could be swayed by the breezes that whistled softly through the trees. The discovery of his brother still played on his mind and he found himself unable to settle down and relax much at all since. He couldn't understand why he was so…bothered by what had happened. A deep exhausted breath escaped his chest. He just didn't feel ready for another day of idleness as his target basically did nothing but talk about ramen and practice some variation of rasengan. He slowly picked himself up from his spot in the trees nonetheless, relieved that this would be his last day in Konoha. He couldn't wait to get as far away from his childhood home as possible. Groggily, he stood and pushed himself to move forward.

* * *

It was the next morning, and Kakashi was in deep consideration when he realized things were not much better as he sat there beside Sasuke trying to diagnose the accumulating symptoms.

"*Choo*." Sasuke let out a sneeze that seemed slightly bigger than the one he had just several minutes ago. The poor kid had been sneezing since that morning, and Kakashi was more and more worried. Sasuke rubbed his face uncomfortably.

"Nees" Sasuke said childishly. "Yes Sasuke. Sneeze." Kakashi grabbed a tissue and wiped the boys small runny nose. He'd hardly finished when another sneeze came and a sniffle followed.

"Oh, dear," Kakashi shook his head, defeated by his inexperience. "Maybe I should just take you to Tsunade-Sama, hmmm? I think she could do a lot better." Sasuke blinked tiredly as he listened to the man talk. Even after a full night of sleep, Sasuke was still tired, and mostly quiet. Seemed like the symptoms of the average cold, but it was scaring Kakashi. He'd never delt with young children before, not to mention sick ones. He was too inexperienced to make a diagnosis for an adult, let alone a child, still too young to say how he felt.

So Kakashi decided to listen to his gut instincts, and make a trip to Tsunade's even if it was probably nothing. He grabbed Sasuke and dressed him in something warm. The air was cool, and the kid was probably already sick enough as he was.

* * *

Kakashi arrived at Tsunade's office several minutes later. He knocked, and once he received an invitation to enter, he walked in carrying a coughing toddler.

"Hello Kakashi. Hello Sasuke. Can I help you two." "Actually, I only need you to take a look at Sasuke, I think he might be catching a cold, but I'm afraid to make any conclusions."

"A cold? Well colds are common in children. What are his symptoms." She asked as Kakashi handed Sasuke to her over the desk. "Well, he's been coughing a lot. I noticed he seems a little tired today as well."

"When did this start?"

"Just last night. He was coughing before I put him to bed."

Tsunade listened to Kakashi as she checked Sasuke's temperature, examined his eyes, and searched for other signs of illness. "Well, there's no fever, not yet anyway. Still, it seems to be a simple cold. The best I can recommend is some children's medicine for now. The symptoms should go away in a couple of days. If he suddenly gets a lot worse, or the medicine doesn't help, come back here, okay."

"Yes Tsunade-Sama. Thank you."

As Tsunade spoke to Kakashi, Sasuke was getting restless and irritated. He didn't feel well, and he could understand something was different. He started to whimper and struggle against Tsunade and her scrutinizing examination.

"That's a symptom of the cold if I've ever known one. He seems kind of cranky."

Sasuke was irritable indeed, and he was becoming more cantankerous by the second. He was tired and he was in no mood to be handled by the blond woman. "Dada!" He said reaching out to Kakashi with both hands. Tears were starting to roll down his cheeks.

Tsunade looked surprised at first, but the expression didn't last long. "Well, Sakura told me, but I would have never believed it until I heard it myself." Tsunade said , referring to Kakashi's newfound title. She handed Sasuke back before the waterworks really started. "So, what's that like. Must be a shock for you, seeing as it wasn't long ago he was calling you 'perverted cyclops'" The two of them laughed.

"Yeah. It's different alright, but I guess I'm starting to get used to it."

"Good. Because for now, it's seems he will be like that for awhile longer." After Tsunade said this, there was a silence that penetrated the room. The statement sent both of them into a state of brief thought, and the two of them realized that they were probably somehow thinking the same thing.

"We're going to have to go straight to Orochimaru aren't we?" Kakashi finally spoke, though he already knew that the likely truthful answer was "yes". There were no leads as to how to change Sasuke back, and not even Kabuto could help while he was in custody. Orochimaru was now the last option and best chance of getting Sasuke to his old normal self.

After several seconds, Tsunade finally decided to simply nod. It was the conclusion she was forming herself. If Orochimaru couldn't change him back, then no one could.

"But that's not what we can focus on right now. Don't worry, things will fall into place soon enough."

"Yeah." Kakashi simply responded. He was still being distracted by Sasuke, but was thankfully now starting to calm down. In fact, the boy had fallen into a nap and seemed to be resting peaceably."

"You should get going Kakashi. Get some medicine and get him back home. I hear there's a late winter stom blowing in. Get him in before it's too cold."

"Right Tsunade-Sama. Thanks."

Kakashi said farewell to Tsunade and was off to do exactly as she told him. He stopped by the drug store and bought the best looking medicine he could find. Making sure it fit Sasuke's age and weight, he purchased the weak drug, and hurried out the store. He made it to the little old house just as he noticed grey clouds and a cold light wind, both approaching from the same direction.

Sasuke still had not woken up by the time he arrived and entered the house, but felt it was best that he gave him some medicine as soon as he could. He felt bad for waking him up, but Sasuke could always sleep later.

Kakashi called his name, patting him softly enough to wake him, but Sasuke did not respond as gently and it was apparent that he did not find his awakening peaceful at all. He whimpered and was soon crying crankily.

"I know, I'm sorry. Shhh." Kakashi hushed softly trying to calm Sasuke, but it wasn't working and the toddler continued to cry feeling all the discomfort his condition brought him. It was a struggle from there. Sasuke wouldn't allow himself to be calmed and it made giving him the medicine arduous. But after several long minutes, A dose of the pink liquid managed to go down.

Sasuke continued to whimper as Kakashi rocked him. Kakashi noticed that fever Tsunade mentioned as a possibility was coming to him and understood why Sasuke was so upset. He really was sick, and Kakashi only hoped he would be able to handle the situation without making it any worse.

"It's alright Sasuke. You're gonna be fine." He spoke as soothingly as a possible while rubbing his back in calming circles. "It's alright. Daddy's here." Well, that was the first time he'd actually called himself that. It didn't feel as strange as he would have imagined.

After a while, Sasuke did calm down as he listened to Kakashi speak softly. The rocking arms calmed him so much that his eyes drew heavy again, and Kakashi realized that the toddler was falling back asleep. "Thank God." Was Kakashi's only thought. He was relieved and hoped that his poor student would sleep long and peaceably, in hopes that the cold would run it's course quickly. With a sleeping Sasuke still caressed in his arms, Kakashi walked slowly to Sasuke's bedroom to lay the boy in his bed to sleep the rest of the evening away.

"Poor Kid." Kakashi thought to himself. He didn't like the idea of his boy being sick. It was just a cold, right? Kakashi hoped so, but he couldn't help but imagine the worst. "It's just a cold." He said, trying to convince himself. "You'll be your old self in no time, promise." Kakashi finished, and kissed Sasuke softly on the top of his head. He covered the boy carefully, and left the room quietly.

* * *

Some time had passed, the storm had arrived and presumed on, and night had fallen, but other than that, not much had happened for Kakashi. Sasuke had woken up for a while earlier. At that time, Kakashi had made sure to give him plenty of liquids, as he still had a fever. Kakashi also tried to give the boy something to eat, but he didn't eat much. As long as he was drinking Kakashi thought it was okay for the time. Kakashi then gave Sasuke another dose of medicine, being careful to have waited long enough. And now, Sasuke was asleep again. Kakashi wondered how long he would be asleep this time, as he lay in his own bed and listened to the distinctive sound of rain hitting the window pane. Again he hoped for a long rest. The medicine wasn't going to work all on it's own. And of course, it would take time. Kakashi adjusted a pillow, laying back a little further to get comfortable. He decided to try and get some rest as well, the pit-pattering of liquid needles hitting against rocks, wood and a sodden earth calming his mind.

-End

* * *

Amaterasu333

Heheh. Well, you guys know the routine. I update late, make excuses, you guys probably don't believe any of it, and just roll your eyes. Oh, c'mon, give me a break. I've got and AP English class (I really do). Lots of typing and it's been hard to find the time and energy to work on this. On the bright side, Chapter 15 will definitely be up sooner rather than later. Please review and thanks for reading. :)

As a little **preview** for next chapter, the possible title of** chapter 15 is _Incontra_**. You may get a bit of an idea what will happen next, maybe.

-**Note: **

**Aegrus**

**Latin**

**Latin word meaning: Sick/unwell/ill**


	15. Incontra

-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Just like I promised, here is chapter 15. Thanks for all of your patience and support. And to those who I gave a shout out to last chapter, you're all very welcome. I also sincerely thank every one of my reviewers. I don't have much to say for this chapter, other than I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 15**: _Incontra_

* * *

Rain fell unceasingly from dark clouds that blotted out the usual prominence of the moon's glow. The air was cold and wet and impregnated by the smell of wet earth and wood. Dark eyes looked up at the clouds which rumbled in dissonance.

The cold rain fell on Itachi's face as he walked silently through the muddied path between timber pillars of the forest walls. It seemed Itachi would end his mission in failure and on a rather abysmal note, but at least, he reasoned, it would be his last night in Konoha. His mission was pointless in his opinion. The Jinchuriki hadn't done much that was noteworthy or at all vital to Akatsuki to know. Well, he figured that he did at least better than Kisame must have, getting himself caught.

He wandered around aimlessly for awhile and then stopped suddenly before he made it into a slight clearing. There was an old cabin-like house. He had never seen the small house, but he'd heard of it nearly a dozen times, eavesdropping on team seven and the conversations between the grey-haired sensei and the Hokage. The out of the way structure was a bit of information that couldn't helped but be picked up while on his mission, though he'd never known the exact location of it. Well, it would seem that he'd just found it. It was the old cabin where Sasuke was currently living with Kakashi.

Itachi knew that he should have just turned around and left right then and there, but he couldn't get himself to take that action. He just couldn't ignore his strange curiosity anymore. He found his desire to get closer growing; to see his little brother closer. He was fully aware of how irrational that was, but for once, he didn't care much to listen to his sensible self. Besides, he reasoned that now was as good a time as any. He would be in and out quickly, then immediately, he would leave Konoha.

Warily, though not at all fearful, he began to approach the house quietly. The soaked ground made walking an ordeal, as the muddy, unstable ground gave under each step he took. He checked for the chakra of any Anbu, just in case, though he knew they had been called away to deal with more urgent issues a few days ago. He made it to a window on the side of the house and carefully opened it, trying his best not to make much noise. As he crawled though the window, his eyes had to adjust to the darkness of the room. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was a little relieved to be out of the rain, and found the room he was in far warmer than the outside. Eyes now adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he was already where he wanted to be. To the wall, opposite the window was a small bed, just large enough to fit a toddler. He heard soft breathing, and as his looked closer, he noticed the small form tucked carefully underneath blankets. He walked up quietly to get a closer look.

At a distance, it was unsettling, but closer, Itachi's mind was simply paralyzed in astonishment, regardless the expression that made him seem indifferent and unaffected. It was as if he was in a genjutsu, trapped in an illusory world that displayed his past to him. He could remember a time when he was young, and he stood besides his mother, watching a very similar scene. The reminiscent feelings that arose made him…uncomfortable

His little brother slept peaceably, his cheeks mostly pale, but displaying a slight blush at their centers. He reached down touching Sasuke's cheek carefully, as if just to make sure what he was seeing was real. It was warm and felt feverish. "Foolish Otouto. I'm not surprised you've ended up like this." Itachi said more to himself than his little brother. He almost had the slight urge to smirk at the end of his almost teasing words. He could always remember his brother getting himself into something troublesome, though, this is not the sort of predicament he could have ever imagined him in.

Sasuke coughed once, twice, in his sleep, and Itachi now realized a strange aura saturating the air of the room. After a moment of consideration, he activated his sharingan and was surprised by what he saw. There was a strange chakra radiating from Sasuke, one that Itachi did not recognize or could understand and he could only imagine that it had to do with the jutsu that had changed his brother, but could not remember feeling the chakra earlier during the entire time he'd been in Konoha and around team Kakashi.

Sasuke coughed softly again in his sleep, causing the chakra to radiate hotter each cough. Itachi's eyes squinted in realization and could see that there was certainly some connection.

"Choo." There was a sudden sneeze that startled the missing-nin just slightly as he was brought out of his thoughts and his hand froze just inches away from his brother's face. Small onyx eyes suddenly flickered open tiredly and Itachi had a mind to just leave before the boy noticed him. But he stood there stiff and steady-eyed, mesmerized by innocent onyx eyes that locked with his own. Itachi thought Sasuke would cry, but he didn't. He just stared up at Itachi, undaunted, but confused until he opened his mouth to say something.

"Ni…?" Sasuke said simply, his voice sounding a little hoarse. Itachi's eyebrows tensed. "What did you say?" His quiet voice was stern and hard with a buried unidentified emotion.

"Ni…Niii!" Sasuke said seeming excited to see the face, and he raised his one hand toward Itachi. Itachi stifled a gasp. He hadn't heard that word in years. Not since Sasuke was young. It's was what his little brother learned to call him. And now, here he was again, calling him by that name, years after Itachi thought he would never here it again.

"It's been… many years, hasn't it… Otouto?" Years since he had slaughtered their parents, since he had seen his little brother, since he had seen the innocence and happiness that always filled his eyes. It had been so long, Itachi forgot what his past felt like. But now, all those old feeling were returning and the feeling was indescribable in an ill and sickening way.

"Nii." Sasuke said again smiling widely at Itachi as he griped his older brother's hand that still hovered limply above.

"What I did all those years ago to you… I… I'm -" Itachi was cut off when he heard a noise come from behind. A door creaked open and before he knew it, the space was surrounded by blinding light.

Kakashi had come through the door, flipping on the wall switch. "Sasu-kun. You awa-….." Kakashi's voice hitched as he saw the figure standing over Sasuke's bed. The man turned to look at the Jounin, and Kakashi recognized exactly who it was, but he couldn't believe it.

"I-Ita-chi…?" It came out quiet, sounding confused and even fearful at first. And then, Kakashi's face lit up with something that seemed like a mixture of anger, rage, and deep animosity.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" Kakashi demanded angrily. He couldn't believe it. There, standing just inches away form him, centimeters from Sasuke, was the man responsible for so many lives and so much pain.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Merely satisfying a curiosity." Itachi responded calmly and quietly as his eyes drifted slowly back to the much younger sibling.

"I swear…If you lay one finger on him, I'll- !"

"Do you think I came all this way just to hurt my little brother?" There was no emotion in Itachi's voice.

"I wouldn't know what runs through your sick mind Itachi. I wouldn't put it past you though. After all, you didn't seem to have a problem all those years ago when you slaughtered the rest of the clan,…and ruined Sasuke's life." The venom in Kakashi's voice only grew and his anger became more apparent in each cold word.

Itachi merely smiled at this. At first, it nearly made Kakashi sick to watch. But then, there was a hint of something else, a hidden sentiment. Kakashi couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something underneath that gave the conceited smirk insincerity.

"I suppose, you've made a valid point, Kakashi-San." Itachi finally begin to back away and Sasuke, sitting up in his bed, curiously watched the man recede.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called as he rushed up and grabbed the toddler in his hands. He wanted so badly just to hug Sasuke and make sure that he was alright, but Itachi was still a threat. As Kakashi held Sasuke, it would seem there was no harm. If he didn't want to harm Sasuke, Kakashi was even more confused now as to why Itachi was there in the first place.

"Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Like I said… I satisfied a curiosity. Nothing more." He responded as he stepped toward the window of the small room.

"A…curiosity? Are you talking about Sasuke?"

"Nii-ni!." Sasuke blurted out unexpectedly, surprising Kakashi. He reached out for his brother and even though Itachi couldn't see it, he could feel Sasuke's actions. It made him stop momentarily in hesitation.

Kakashi's expression softened as he looked from Sasuke to Itachi, saddened slightly. He was starting to understand what exactly was going on as Itachi's step hesitatively faltered.

"He still remembers you Itachi." Kakashi said watching his enemy's back. "Not for the bad, horrible things you put him through, but for the brother he believed of you before the massacre. Even like this, he looks up to you." Itachi remained stiff, his back still turned to his brother and Kakashi. "You can act like it doesn't affect you, but in truth,… it bothers you doesn't it. Seeing Sasuke this way… It's made you regret the things you've done… in the past."

Itachi didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. There were no words to be said regarding the way he felt; regarding that feeling in his chest. It wouldn't matter anyway. He simply resumed his journey to the window of the room, unable to face Kakashi's analysis. "Get him to the Hokage." He said as he heard Sasuke began to cough again. "If you think it's just a cold, you're wrong."

"What…so you care all of sudden, now? What happens to him is important to you?"

"…"

"… Besides, I've already been to the Hokage. It's a co-"

"I don't usually repeat myself. It's not a cold. If you haven't noticed it by now, check for yourself." Kakashi stared both stunned and confused.

"…with the Sharingan. Then you should be able to see it." Itachi finished explaining.

What did he mean about Sasuke not being sick. Sasuke began to cough again, and harder than before and the coughing did not stop for a long time.

Nervousness washed over Kakashi as he stopped to look at Sasuke, and he realized part of what Itachi meant. He slipped his headband up and that's when he noticed clearly, strange chakra pulsating from Sasuke's body. "How could I have not noticed." Kakashi thought.

"What!… What did you do to him?" He asked not knowing who to hold responsible.

"I've done nothing, but I imagine this has to do with the jutsu placed on him. It's making him sick. What will happen to him? Who's to say but Orochimaru. He needs real treatment and observation. I assume he's only going to get worse." He said, watching as Sasuke body trembled with more loud coughs.

Kakashi realized what Itachi said was true. Something was very wrong. Sasuke wasn't just sick. It was something far more. For a moment, Itachi failed to reach his mind, as the only thing he could think about was getting Sasuke to the Hokage at once.

Kakashi didn't notice as Itachi eyes widened in suspicion, his body tensing, and senses making him alert to every sound. He felt something, or rather someone else's chakra faintly nearby. He assumed it were Anbu or someone of the sort. He did not imagine there would be anyone still guarding the Jounin and child, so for a moment he was confused. He had already been spotted by Kakashi, and did not need anyone else witnessing him within the village. He moved quickly to the window. Giving one last glance at Kakashi and Sasuke who he stared at concernedly, his figure distorted, breaking off into a wild klan of crows. They flew out the window, cawing eerily into the darkness.

The sound of flapping and caws brought Kakashi's eyes off the toddler in his arms for a moment. "Itachi?…" Kakashi looked up to see nothing but an open window. He wondered where the missing-nin had gone briefly, but there was only one thing really on his mind. That was to get Sasuke to Tsunade as soon as possible. He would tell her about the encounter with Itachi, but Sasuke's condition came first.

It was still raining out, and the air was cold and wet. It wouldn't be good for anyone to be out in the weather, let alone Sasuke, but he had no choice. He had thankfully gone to bed still dressed in most of his usual shinobi uniform, so there was no pressure to change clothing. He simply grabbed a heavy blanket and was sure to wrap Sasuke well in it. It was moments later when Kakashi had Sasuke in his arms, and heading outside the door into the surrounding darkness of the night and buffeted by the rainfall. He hardly had time to wonder where Itachi ran off to as he began to run into the direction of the Hokage's tower. It wasn't long before he was stopped in his tracks by a strange noise. He looked around anxiously.

"Itachi?…" Kakashi called out.

"Not quite." The familiar voice was startling enough to make Kakashi's heart skip and he almost didn't want to turn around. But of course he did, finding the courage to confirm his fears. A white-haired male stood there with that familiar smirk and over-confident eyes brimming from behind his spectacles, that could just barely be seen floating in the darkness.

"Kabuto." Kakashi growled.

"You didn't think I would let our last battle go without a rematch did you?" Kakashi stared his enemy down but couldn't help but be distracted as he felt and heard the coughs coming from Sasuke's body underneath the blanket.

'Damn. I don't have time for this. Why now!' Kakashi thought while his demeanor refused to reveal his frustration and desperation.

"This time… I will succeed, and you will fall."

Kakashi saw the same desperate need to succeed in Kabuto's eyes as before, maybe even more, and he knew that this wouldn't end quickly or easily. He was going to have to fight Kabuto, for a second time when he hardly got through the first assault.

"This time… Sasuke will be mine!" Kabuto said, eyes emanating an intensity, insanity, and the intent to kill. "I CAN'T WAIT TO WATCH YOU DIE!"

-End

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Amaterasu333

**And that's the end of chapter 15. I hope you all liked it. Good Job magicaltoothbrush for finding the meaning and guessing the plot of the chapter. The title hinted at both Itachi and Kabuto. **

**I don't know when I'll have chapter 16 out, but I'll get it out as soon as I possibly can. Thanks you all for reading and thanks for the reviews in advance. **

* * *

**-Note**

**Incontra**

**Latin**

**Etymology: From in ("in, at, on; into") + contra ("against").**

**Literal meaning: In Front Of**

**To Confront/To Encounter/ To Come up Against/To Meet in Conflict**


	16. Velitatio

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

**Oh wow! Guys I'm so so so sorry it's taken so long to update. Time's been hard to find, and I had a block for a little while. Not to mention, I hate writing scenes like the one in this chapter, which is probably why I had the block. Battle scenes aren't my strong point. I may even do my best to avoid them in the future. Well anyway, I've kept you waiting enough. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 16: **_Velitatio_

Rain soaked the earth, filling any crevice that could accommodate the smallest amount of water. Through the falling rain, Kakashi observed his enemy keenly. All he could think of was how he was going to get out of this. He was in a hurry and he had no patients for dealing with Kabuto. Sasuke's life could possibly be depending on his ability to get through the obstacle as quickly as possible.

"As much as I want to fight you, Kabuto, there's more important things right now. I don't have time for this. Sasuke doesn't have time."

"I didn't come here to hear pathetic excuses."

"Listen, Kabuto! You want Sasuke alive, don't you. Well if we stay here fighting like this, something's bound to happen. He's already sick from the jutsu **you** placed on him!" Kakashi yelled accusingly over the sound of the rain. Before jumping into battle, he hoped to get Kabuto to understand and back down. "Please? I have to get him help!"

Kabuto obviously wasn't listening as he raised his hands and begin a set of hand seals. Once the seals were completed, his hands began to glow with that familiar, purplish hue that he'd known only from Kabuto. Kakashi wondered if it was the same attack that had nearly killed him the first time. It didn't matter what kind of attack it was, he knew couldn't let himself get hit by it.

Kakashi heard a familiar cry and whimpering coming from underneath the blankets in his arms. "Dada!" Sasuke said between coughs and more wails. He began to struggle and Kakashi held him tighter, hoping to keep him calm, as well as warm and dry. It couldn't be helped though. The rain was falling harder, and it was soaking through the cloth in his own clothes, let alone the blanket.

"Heh! 'Dada!' Killing you is going to be so gratifying, being in front of your "son" and all." Kabuto mocked, holding a malevolent, amused expression.

"Sick bastard." Kakashi growled, making Kabuto smile wider before he suddenly took off towards the man and Sasuke. Kakashi wasn't caught off guard though. He'd been waiting for a attack and knew it would be sudden. Quickly finding the balance to hold Sasuke between his binding arms, he formed the required hand seals, and a white cloud of smoke appeared. Out of the smoke were eight, fierce dogs. They were all eight of Kakashi's trusted ninkin, ready to protect and fight as hard as they had to. Some stood growling fiercely at the quickly approaching enemy, while others surrounded Kakashi and Sasuke in a protective stance.

Closest to Kakashi stood Pakkun, ready to do what he already knew was his role. He looked to his summoner, who stared steely-eyed in Kabuto's direction. He knew that Kakashi was serious and had been expecting this confrontation with Kabuto which is exactly why each dog knew their job on the battlefield. Kakashi was sure to have made sure they understood what to do when Kabuto inevitably showed up and he summoned them to this battle if necessary.

"Your mutts can't protect you!" Kabuto didn't feel the least bit threatened by the weak looking animals that stood between him and their master. Kakashi quickly retrieved a kunai, readying himself, knowing that he would have to jump in soon enough. The four dogs in front wasted no more time either, and they charged at Kabuto, white fangs bared and ready to bite down on the enemy. Instead of attacking him head on, they coordinated their movements carefully. Kabuto realized they were planning something as they distanced themselves from one another, each heading at a different angle and curving as they got farther to the edge of some invisible ring they had visualized surrounding Kabuto.

Kabuto soon slowed to a halt as he found his attention locked on the dogs after all. They had obviously planned a strategy beforehand, he figured, as he realized the dogs were trapping him in their circle of sharp claws and white fangs. They had him surrounded.

The dogs, still circling, began to encroach the imaginary boundary they themselves had set and each was closing in fast. One of the dogs, being in close enough distance, launched a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, but Kabuto dodged it with little difficulty. Before he had much time to think, another came from the right. Again, he dodged the assault, but there were more attacks, each coming between shorter and shorter intervals.

The dogs attacked one by one. Missing their mark, they landed agilely on their paws and curved around waiting for their opening again. Their plan was to tire him out, and then, they would have him in their viselike grip all at once.

Needless to say, Kabuto quickly got annoyed with the game, his impatience growing. His anger reached its boiling point as one of the snarling animals successfully latched onto his arm, incisors and sharp canine teeth cutting deep into his flesh.

Meanwhile, Kakashi stood back a distance, analyzing the effectiveness of his summoning's technique. "Good Job!" He called to them. So far, so good. He was pleased, but he knew the dogs could only hold Kabuto back for so long. He knew now was Pakkun's only chance.

"While he's not looking." He whispered simply, too low for Kabuto to hear. "Now's the chance. He won't notice." Pakkun nodded, slowly backing away from Kakashi. He was sure to make no noise as he disappeared quickly behind a set of bushes. He set off, traveling as fast as his small feet could carry him. He worried about Sasuke and Kakashi's safety, but he could help far more this way. He wasn't the strongest fighter, but he could get help.

Attention off of Kakashi for the time being, Kabuto growled in pain as he tried to shake the animal off unsuccessfully. He didn't plan on wasting energy on the dogs, but he wasn't going to get much closer to Kakashi unless he did something. A dog jumped from behind, its teeth getting ready to snap at the back of Kabuto's head. Kabuto turned quickly, using his free arm to punch the dog hard enough to knock him backwards several feet. The animal's body crashed harshly into the flooded pools of mud and stones. Now he turned his attention to the one that was latched on to his arm. As another dog quickly came around to attack, Kabuto slammed into him with the one gripped onto his arm.

The animal, hurt by the contact between him and his ally let go as he yelped in pain. Both dogs crashed into the wet earth as the one before had. The fourth dog saw the strategy quickly falling apart and instead of attacking, he backed down and took the opportunity to run up to one of its injured allies in worry.

Kakashi watched as this all took place within only moments. Realizing that Kabuto would not be held back for any longer, it was time to take further action himself. A few seconds of hand seals and Kakashi had formed a clone of himself. Kakashi handed Sasuke to the clone and spoke to the guardian dogs that stood near. "Whatever happens, stay with the clone and Sasuke." He said rushing off to the battlefield. The dogs barked in understanding. "I'll take care of Kabuto myself."

The ninkin battling Kabuto were trying to recover from some of the hits they had received, and were slowly and agonizingly picking themselves off the ground. Kabuto wouldn't give them the chance to have themselves up and coordinated to attack again. Taking out a kunai, he raised his arm to kill one of the defenseless animals. Just then, a kunai came flying towards him instead and Kabuto had to move quickly to barely dodge it. The blade landed an inch from his heel. He hadn't realized right away that there was an explosive tag attached to the base of its handle, but the dogs had, and moved a bit quicker than they had before to get out of the way. Kabuto couldn't move far before there was an explosion. The space between the two opponents was engulfed in a fiery blast. Kabuto cursed as he covered his face and braced the impact. He let himself be caught off guard and now he could feel his skin being singed from being in such close proximity.

As the smoke, steam, and mist cleared, he looked up, finding it was Kakashi who unsurprisingly threw the kunai. The dogs had found enough time to recover and were all up and by Kakashi's side again.

Kabuto regained his breath and his confident look returned with it. He wasn't going to let himself be beat by the Jounin and a few mangy dogs. "Glad you finally decided to come out. I really didn't come here to fight your dogs." he remarked mockingly. Kakashi didn't say anything, but mentally, he was preparing himself for the next round and his stance steadied with his thoughts. "You think that you'll win because you have those summonings on your side? You're not the only one with allies, Kakashi." Kakashi wouldn't allow his face to show any emotion, but he didn't like the thought of Kabuto having backup. He hoped it was just an empty bluff.

Kabuto raised his hand in an obscure gesture, nothing happening at first. Then one of the dogs by Kakashi's side growled, sensing another presence. Soon, they were all growling, their senses firing off alarms in their heads, and even Kakashi's inner sense was telling him something was wrong. The ground under their feet shifted awkwardly and the water surrounding their ankles sloshing in an odd matter. There was a gurgle, and suddenly a watery form rose from the flooded ground, just behind Kakashi's back. He was surprised but also very alert and was just able to flip out of the way before a section of the wall of water managed to hit him with a furious swipe. The dogs scattered, all managing to scurry away and out of the way of the strange new opponent.

The wall of water was rippling with motion and it changed before Kakashi's eyes, its shape becoming more defined. Looking less like an odd wall of water lifting from the ground, it took the shape of a human, becoming solid and opaque with the colors of human skin and purplish clothing. After a few seconds, a male figure was clearly visible, a sword gripped tightly in his hands. Kakashi realized that that was what nearly hit him. He would have been sliced in halve by such a massive and heavy sword, designed to cut a human's body in single well controlled slice

"Aww gee. I missed." came a voice from the new unfamiliar young male. "He was right in front of you, Suigetsu. You're too damn slow." Kabuto quipped bitterly. Suigetsu took it all in stride however. He wasn't bothered by the critic remark. His smile was wide with anticipation, and eye squinted in an amused way. "Whatever, I'll get him next time."

Kakashi jaw clenched tightly, his entire body taut. His clinched fist trembled slightly, a tinge of apprehension and hot adrenaline filling his veins. He breath in slowly, drawing in the cold air, letting it clear his head and remembering Sasuke. He was nervouse and anxious and worried. Not for himself, for he was not fighting for himself. He was fighting for Sasuke; his student; his son. And for the first time in a long time, as he watched the confident look on Kabuto's face, and the confidence of his ally, he felt total and absolute fear in his heart.

End

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Amaterasu333

**Sorry again for the long update time. I'll be updating again very soon though, and I hope I can start updating more regularly for a little while. Thank you all for reading and please review. Hey, maybe I'll score a hundred reviews this chapter. That would be great.**

**- note**

**Velitatio**

**Latin**

**Etymology: from veles (light-armed soldier) + -itis **

**Literal meaning: **_**light-armed infantry**_

**A dispute, fight, or contest/ Skirmish/ Skirmisher/a brief involvement in battle, **


	17. Catastropha

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

About 2 weeks between this update and last. Not as quickly as I would have liked, but a whole lot better than the 2 month update wait. So I'm happy. Thanks for your patience guys. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and hope that you're having a happy new years as well. Welcome 2012!

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**Chapter 17**: _Catastropha_

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Pakkun had not forgotten his role and ran hastily through the wooded area. He worried about the safety of his team as he would look back every so often. He knew Kabuto was powerful, even for his age. How could he be anything else? He was the student of a Sannin after all, not to mention the use of forbidden jutsu surely played a part in his strength. "I can't think of all of this now." he reminded himself often. He could only pray for them, and get to Tsunade in time. He hated that Kakashi had to live so far from the center of the village now. What a horrible time for his short legs to have to travel so far. But finally after what seemed like an eternity, Pakkun, saw the Hokage's tower in the distance. He picked up speed now, his determination stronger than ever to reach the Hokage before it was too late.

He had come up to the building now, panting and heaving as he ran past other ninja ascending the staircase to the upper-floor hall, surprising them and nearly making them trip and fall as they loss their balance against the pacing dog. Pakkun was glad Tsunade's door was wide open as Shizune had just carried some paperwork into her office.

"*pant. Pant* Tsu-Tsunade-S-sama. *pants*" Pakkun panted heavily, his words coming out in sharp gasp.

Tsunade looked at the poor dog worryingly and surprised. "What is it?" she finally asked.

"E-emer-gency." He said tiredly. "Kabuto!" At that instant, Tsunade's skin turned two shades paler. It only took the mention of that name for Tsunade to know that Kakashi was in trouble.

"Where?. Where are they?" She said lifting herself so quickly, her seat was knocked backward and hit the ground. "Where are they Pakkun?

"At the cabin."

Tsunade looked through drawers, coming across a scroll. It was the scroll with the tracking seal marks. Her eyes wondered until they rested on a mark underneath the name "Kakashi."

"It's still there. Thank God." She was relieved, but she couldn't stay like this for long. Kakashi might not stay alive if she just stood there. "Pakkun, gain your breath quickly and go get help."

"W-who?"

"Anyone."

"y-yes Ma'am."

She rushed quickly out the door of her office leaving Pakkun recover.

* * *

Back on the battlefield, Kakashi, Kabuto, and Suigetsu stood watching one another, waiting and anticipating the opponents attack. The dogs were jumpy and restless, anxious about what was the come.

"Kakashi, what do we do?" One of the dogs asked, nervous by more than one opponent. "We fight." Kakashi said simply. He was nervous too, but there was nothing else they could do but fight. He took a anxious glance at the clone and Sasuke, near the house, and then glared back at his opponents. "I'm going to leave you with him." He took a glance at Kabuto letting his dogs know whom he meant. "See what you can do with him for now? I'll take on this guy. If things get too tough, I'll see what I can do." The dogs nodded.

All of them stood still for what seemed like an eternity, locked in an intense standstill. Kakashi could see the readiness in the eyes of his new opponent. He seemed to look forward to battling Kakashi, and wasn't going to hold back much longer. Sure enough, Suigetsu spent all patience, and soon charged at Kakashi, his large sword raised above his head. He took a swing at Kakashi, but he dodged. While Kakashi was busy, Kabuto thought he would take the chance to go for the clone, and finally snatch the boy. The moment he started toward them, the dogs barred their teeth and charged at Kabuto.

Both pairs of opponents exchanged attacks, each landing a hit occasionally. For the dogs, it was mostly a game of wit and speed. They knew they couldn't beat Kabuto, but they could keep him distracted and slowed down enough for Kakashi to beat his foe.

Kakashi was struggling to find his opponents weakness. This is why he wanted to fight Suigetsu. At least the dogs knew Kabuto's move set, but this Suigetsu was a total surprise. Every time he tried to land a hit, he just turned to water and the attacks would go right through him. It was hard to stay focused but he ventured to turn his attention to Kabuto. The sound of yelping came to his ears and he immediately knew it were the ninkin. When he turned around, he eyes widened in shock.

"How could he have taken them already…and without me even noticing." There was only one dog remaining and Kakashi watched helplessly as he went tumbling to the ground after a heavy attack. Kakashi could tell he was severely weakened and looked about ready to faint. Too exhausted to hold together his summoned state, he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Kakashi imagined it was the same for the others, seeing as they were nowhere to be seen.

Kakashi knew what was sure to follow; Kabuto was already looking in the direction of Sasuke, the clone, and the remaining ninkin that were on the defensive. The dogs growled as they could all sense Kabuto intention as he looked in their direction. Kakashi had to do something quickly. He didn't have much time, but he would have to get away from Suigetsu first.

Kakashi tried to figure what would work best, and then he came up with an idea. He activated his sharingan, and charged at Suigetsu. His sharingan undoubtedly increased his speed significantly. He started to swipe through the air as if trying to land a normal punch.

"That's not going to work on me, remember?" Suigetsu said proudly, grinning widely all the while. But just as Suigetsu had gotten too arrogant, activating again to his water form, he felt a sharp pain enter his chest, and a hard fizzle and burn emanate and ripple throughout the rest of his body. He didn't get the chance to even understand what had happened before he was taken over by excruciating pain engulfing him.

Through the transparent body, Kakashi could see his last minute Raikiri die down; He had formed it right before hitting Suigetsu, who was too overconfident and comfortable to realize it.

"So lightning is your weakness." Kakashi said, watching his enemy pulsate in pain. Suigetsu gave a loud grunting scream before the form sunk crushingly into water and rippled into the flooded ground. Kakashi looked at the ground anxiously, waiting for him to come back, but nothing happened, and Kakashi concluded that his enemy was probably dead. He had after all struck in the chest. Water or not, it should have killed him.

Without any more delay, he turned around, going straight in the direction of Kabuto. Kabuto had already gotten too close to Sasuke and the ninkin who were preparing to attack but tried to hold their ground as long as possible, not wanting to under think their situation. Finally they couldn't stand and do nothing any longer. They attacked warily, but as viciously as possible, at least hoping to scare him more than anything. Of course that wasn't working and he was dodging there snarling biting mouths effortlessly. In fact, Kabuto was too calm. Kakashi noticed this and wondered why. Had he not noticed that Kakashi had defeated Suigetsu.

Kakashi couldn't think about this for long though. As he saw there was something fiercer about Kabuto than earlier. He was done hiding his strength and his attitude towards the dogs and the situation became more aggressive. He activated a jutsu making his arms glow purple. Kakashi noticed a spike in the chakra concentrated in his arms and knew that whatever the jutsu was, it had increased his physical strength dramatically. He began to hit at each dog, his arms swatting in sharp horizontal motions, completely knocking the dogs into the ground with such heavy impacts, the bodies seemed to dive five feet into the mud before they disappeared in a cloud of heavy white smoke.

Kakashi was going too slow at this point and he had had enough "Get away from them!" Kakashi yelled, activating his sharingan, and another, even more powerful raikiri began to spark to life in his palm. In a burst of speed, he charged even faster, intending to reach Kabuto and dive the attack into his chest. He raised his raikiri laden hand, and was only a few yards from Kabuto when something felt wrong.

Alarms fired in Kakashi's head, his senses flaring with a sensation of dread as he sensed something menacing coming over him. A large shadow caste by what visible light the moon was allowed overtook him from behind. Out of reflex, Kakashi turned around, only for his eyes to come in contact with a giant. Before he took in the sight, a large mutated arm swung out, hitting him in his side. The impact was so powerful; his body went flying, crashing into the side of the house, and breaking through the old wooden walls. Kakashi body settled in the rubbled wooden planks, limp and unmoving.

The fake Kakashi drew his kunai, holding Sasuke in one arm. He faced Kabuto, but stood in one place unsure what to do. Charging would surely mean the end, but he couldn't stay there either. He hardly had time to decide before a wave of water rose behind, stretching tentacle of rain water around the clone. The water of the tentacles spread and began to spread up and down his body. The clone instinctively held Sasuke far from his body with outstretched arms as the water spread over his face, preventing him from taking in vital air.

Kabuto grabbed the wiggling, whining bundle, squirming in the clones resisting hands. The clone itself soon dispersed into a white cloud of smoke, having been drowned in the water prison, letting Sasuke free in the harmful hands of the enemy.

Kabuto was wary at first, having known first hand Kakashi's cleverness. He unwrapped the screaming child from its blanket gingerly, and having taken a good look at the tear stained face, Kabuto knew. It was no clone, no explosive trick, but surely and finally Uchiha Sasuke. He had him here in his hands; finally his task complete and accomplished.

The wall of water that had dispersed the clone soon revealed itself to be Suigetsu who held his chest uncomfortably, and he watched curiously as Kabuto held the boy. A couple of feet away, the true Kakashi's defeater, Juugo stood watching as well. And Karin, who had only led the team to the house; who had hidden afraid in safety, eases her self from behind the olden cabin as she realized the spiked chakra had died down. They all looked timidly, the fact that they'd done it slowly setting in. They had Uchiha Sasuke and one thing was running through their minds at that moment. For a moment, relief washed over them and they already felt free, but still they watched timidly and uneasily as Kabuto observed the crying whimpering child with a evil smile.

"Take him…" Kabuto suddenly said passing the child on to the first person he walked past. That happened to be Suigetsu, who was caught off guard as the baby was nearly thrown into his arms. Suigetsu held it timidly, as if he was near breaking Sasuke. The small group watched curiously, already wondering why they were just standing around. They should have already been heading to Orochimaru's hideout was all they could think. They were anxious to get there as soon as possible.

Kabuto approached the rubble where Kakashi had crashed into to find Kakashi still there, unconscious, but very much alive. He refused to allow that. He had a sort of vendetta against the man for all that he had put him through and now he would kill him. Finally he would kill him once and for all.

"Uughhh… Hnnn. S-Sasu…..Sasuke." Kakashi moaned, stirring from unconsciousness and attempting to recover from a clouded head. He blinked up, clearing the blurriness from his eyes. He could see Kabuto with that sick grin of his. He had pulled out a scalpel and held it intently in his hand, preparing to gruesomely take his life.

"I'll finally end your pathetic life." The words, full of hate and venom rolled of his tongue. The raised knife now came forwards heading straight towards Kakashi's neck. Out of reflex, Kakashi only had time to ball a fist and aim at Kabuto, but Kabuto easily caught the hand by the wrist, pinning Kakashi hand to a large piece of the rubble that laid slanted behind him. Kabuto now had a clear shot, but as he prepared a second time for the deadly strike, something caught his attention. His eyes widened upon realization of what he saw as he held the weakened Joinin by the wrist, his open, ungloved palm clearly exposed.

"A seal!" He said, his surprise clearly audible in his voice. The simple black marking came clearly to his mind. It was a seal he recognized. His eyes were wide at first, full of shock, but soon closed halfway, his brows pulling downward, and his face contorting in anger and resentment. He knew he couldn't kill Kakashi now, or else whoever put that seal on him would know and sure enough, search for Sasuke right away. It was the only explanation to why he would have such a seal, though Kabuto couldn't figure out why such an out-of-date jutsu. Either way, he was out of luck. Every muscle in his body was urging him to kill the Jounin, but he would have to hold off…for now.

"Damn you… damn that woman." He already figured that it was Tsunade who was responsible. "So you got lucky. You won't be for much longer." He finished to Kakashi as he continued to hold Kakashi's wrist tightly, and activate a jutsu with a single motion of his free hand. The hand holding Kakashi's wrist glowed, and Kakashi could quickly feel what was happening. His chakra was being taken from him. He could feel the streams of energy flowing from his body, and his body becoming weaker. He started panting heavily as it became harder for him to breath. His eyes wondered around weakly as his vision started to blur and his mind numbing with every second that passed. After only a few moments, Kakashi's head dropped from exhaustion, and everything went black as his fell unconscious.

-End

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Amaterasu333

Thanks again for reading guys. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try to update soon. I'll really, really try. It won't be two months I know at least that much. haha.

Note:

**Catastropha**

**Latin**

**Etymology: Catastropha, from Greek katastrophe, akin to katastrephein. From kata "down" + strephein "turn"**

**Literal meaning: **to overturn, turn down, trample on; to come to an end

**Total failure, Disaster (especially one that leads to loss/possible loss of life, violent or tragic end to a plot.**


	18. Retribuere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Hi all. Yes, it has taken awhile, I know. Heheh. Sorry. Hey guys, I'm doin' the best I can. I understand if you're totally mad though. Well, anyways. Here is chapter 18 finally. Thanks.

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**Chapter 18:**_ Retribuere_

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Though rain was no longer in a downpour, it still fell decisively to the soaked ground that had been a small battlefield moments ago. The rain's wet touch was felt by everything it could come in contact with. Dark grey eyes watched interestedly, hidden from sight by the mist and fogging shroud of rain, his chakra so well subdued, not even the red-headed sensor could feel his presence. The dark sullen eyes watched irritably as the snake Sannin's grey-haired apprentice held the crying, younger Uchiha between his tightly gripped fingers, and the grey-haired sensei as he was tied by the wrist with a short length of thick rope and brought over the shoulder of the large orange-haired boy.

"Shouldn't we get g-going." The red head asked quickly. She peered in every direction, sensing nobody but feeling suspicious anyway. She couldn't remember herself being so nervous, that she couldn't even trust her own abilities, which she often felt very confident in.

"Karin's right. We should go already." Suigetsu agreed with wary alarm. Kabuto didn't respond, but gathered the last of his thoughts agreeing with the idea of leaving quickly.  
"We're leaving now, so stop your babbling." the leader said harshly.

So the group of four along with a helpless Sasuke and unconscious Kakashi, rushed off into the wet greenery. Itachi's eyes watched carefully, as he considered all that had just happened. He stood there quietly, reflecting on the battle he'd just watched take place, yet did nothing to stop. He stood quietly considering what would happen next and if he would stick around to find out. He stood quietly, his thoughts accompanied by the light rain; his mind flooded and waterlogged with heavy drowning thoughts.

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Eyes opened slowly, painfully. Kakashi glanced around, his head throbbing and vision blurred. He couldn't move his head too well but his eyes were able to turn slightly in either direction. He could tell he was moving; the blurs in the distance moving out from under him. He felt his body shuffle back and forth, but not by his own feet. Someone must have been carrying him.

As a pain came to his head, he gave a low groan, and he felt the movement underneath him stop and everything felt still. Then suddenly he felt himself lifted up, and without warning, there was nothing but swishing air around him and he knew he was falling. He hit the cold wet ground with his back hitting against something hard. It was the trunk of a half-rotted tree. He grunted as a sharp pain shot through his body.

His eyes cleared and everything was slowly becoming easier to see. Kabuto stood in front of him smiling coldly. "I was wondering when you'd wake up."

Once Kakashi was to himself, he mustered a venomous glare at Kabuto. "W-Where the hell is he? You've better not have hurt him!" Kakashi demanded weakly, though his anger was apparent. "I swear, if you've done something to him, you'll-"

"Always making threats aren't we Hatake, when you're clearly powerless." Kabuto mocked the man. Kakashi's jaw clenched, growing angry already.

"Don't worry. Your Sasuke is fine…for now." He stepped aside, allowing Kakashi to see. A red headed girl stood there, suddenly nervous by the attention brought to her. Sasuke was wrapped in a thick covering. Perhaps it was a coat or something. It wasn't what Sasuke was wrapped in before, but Kakashi was thankful because it seemed dry and warm. Within the thick, black, warm material laid Sasuke against her chest, asleep. The anger melted from Kakashi's face and there was only worry and concern there now.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi yelled impulsively. Sasuke coughed a couple of times and shifted a little before he was still again. "You can't do this." Kakashi demanded, suddenly sounding frantic. "He's sick. The rain will only make him worse. Can't you understand that?"

"He'll be fine. I would be more concerned with myself if I was in your position."

"Do what you want with me. Just don't hurt Sasuke. He's just a kid. He doesn't deserve this. Please?" Kabuto chuckled softly, yet it only amplified the essence of cruel mockery hidden in his laughter. "Orochimaru and I will do what we want with him whether he deserves it or not…no matter how cruel."

This left a cold feeling in Kakashi's chest and he couldn't find the words to respond. Kakashi had never felt so helpless, so at mercy to someone like this. If it was his life to worry about, it would be different. But it was Sasuke whose life was in danger, and he could do nothing. Kakashi's face went ghostly pale at the thought of Sasuke suffering at the hands of someone like Kabuto or Orochimaru.

Kakashi lowered his head silently, letting his eyes face the ground. His jaw began to shake and tremble slightly. He couldn't tell if it was sorrow, fear, or even rage that he felt to make him tremble, but whatever it was, it wasn't something he could control. He again clenched his teeth to still his shaking, trying desperately to keep his emotions in check.

"I'll do anything…" Kakashi said quietly and sorrowfully, though his voice was full of determination. "Please. I'll do anything if it keeps him safe."

"And what could you possibly do to deny Orochimaru his precious prize?"Kakashi was quiet for a while as he thought. He didn't care what it was they wanted. If he could just take the place of his son, and suffer instead, he didn't care what he had to do.

"… My sharingan.' He decided. "It's not the same, I know, because there's only one, but it is more advanced than Sasuke has ever been. Orochimaru could use me instead, somehow." Kakashi tested the suggestion. He had this doubtful feeling. He honestly knew that this wouldn't dared be considered, but if there was a chance, he had to try.

Kabuto smirked coldly, looking down on the self-sacrificing jounin. Pathetic. "In order to fulfill his goal, Orochimaru needs not just the Sharingan, but the body of an Uchiha as well. You're just some poor Uchiha's substitute. Even if you do have the mangekyou, you're useless. Besides, Orochimaru could never use you." Kabuto said eyeing him in disgust. "He couldn't do less with you at this very moment, helplessly pleading like a beggar, grasping at a senseless notion that you can protect your so-called 'son'. You're pathetic. Orochimaru wouldn't waste his time except to get some amusement out of torturing you until you die."

Kakashi's eyes had never left the ground, and he listened silently as his pleas went mocked and unfulfilled. He hadn't noticed right away, but his jaw had started to tremble again. He made no attempt to still his agitated shuddering this time, and hadn't the power to if he tried. His nerves were taut and there was a feeling rising in him so powerful that he dared not even speak if he could help it.

But the feeling kept growing and was gouging out every ounce of self-control he had. He realized fully now the degree of hate he had for Kabuto. He hated Kabuto, right now more than he had ever hated anything else. Perhaps he even hated him more than Orochimaru at that moment. He finally looked up into the face of what Kakashi conceived to be pure evil. The face of someone who would kill an innocent child, or laugh at the pain of the dieing, or amuse himself with the prospect of torture, and a number of other things Kakashi was sure he could hate Kabuto for. Kakashi's slightly distraught, mostly quiet face now contorted in anger and disgust.

Kakashi realized that there had been an animosity growing and forging in the very core of his heart for a long time. The flames of animosity and enmity had been growing and growing wilder, and now, he felt it so strong he could no longer control it.

"You ironic piece of shit!" Kakashi growled unrestrainedly. Kabuto looked suddenly surprised at the unforeseen response.

"That's bullshit. How dare you! You're one of the most disgusting, pathetic, things I've ever set my eyes on. You hateful, disgusting excuse for a human being. You can't admit it, but we both know. You're nothing and you know it! You're nothing but a worthless pawn for Orochimaru and you know that just as well as I do! Disgusting bastard!

The jounin hadn't even stopped to wonder where this was coming from. He erupted in a fit of angry, disgust-filled remarks and speech so unlike Kakashi's character, that even Kabuto had to admit he was taken off guard by him. Not afraid, but surprised, then awed, and finally he was brought to vexation.

Perhaps some other time, Kabuto would have been amused by someone like Kakashi losing his cool and self-control, but it only struck a bad nerve in him. He was deeply affected by the tone, and he even dared to believe, the very words offended him.

"You have a lot of courage to speak like that in your condition, or either you're not as much of a genius as they say." Kabuto responded bitterly. "You can say what you like, but now I'll be certain that Sasuke suffers as much as possible before Orochimaru finally takes his miserable body. And you'll be nowhere to help him and save him like you promised you would be. You've already failed him, Kakashi."

Kakashi continued to stare at the man coldly, wishing Kabuto would fall dead right then and there. He wasn't as affected by the threat of making Sasuke suffer as Kabuto thought he would be, and that turned Kabuto's face red with anger. Maybe, Kakashi realized that really, Kabuto could do nothing harmful to Sasuke. Not with Orochimaru. Because Kabuto knew that Sasuke was all Orochimaru-Sama really wanted. When it came to the damn Uchiha, everything, and everyone were nothing but tools. Sasuke wasn't a tool. He was an absolute necessity, a dream, a prize good enough to sit on a pedestal if it weren't for the fact that Orochimaru would possess the boy's body.

Kabuto's body twitched, wracked with severe anger. He lost the little reserve he had and suddenly kicked Kakashi in the stomach; the kick being so hard that Kakashi breath was knocked out of him and he panted huskily to regain it. His back hit the trunk of the tree. There would probably be a bruise there later, but Kakashi didn't care about that. He didn't even care he had been kicked by Kabuto. He knew he had damaged a part of Kabuto's pride and a smirk formed on Kakashi face.

"…I hope you burn in hell." He said in return, the smirk never leaving his face…and Kabuto's wrath was then rekindled. It wouldn't be felt as evanescently as the last moment of anger, and Kabuto delivered more than a single blow.

Violent punches and kicks abused Kakashi; his chest, stomach, and face taking the brunt of the blows. Kabuto was absolutely intent on making the man regret his brave defying outburst. He no longer cared whether he killed Kakashi or not, he was absorbed completely in revenge.

It wasn't until Kakashi began to cough blood from his mouth that the other three who had stood watching silently, afraid to get in Kabuto's way before, finally acted. It was obvious that Kabuto wasn't going to stop until he had killed Kakashi and they couldn't allow that with the irremovable seal placed on his palm.

"Kabuto-san. Stop it." Juugo asked agitated.

"Yeah, Kabuto, Lay of will ya." Suigetsu alerted irritated and wary. "You said yourself what would happen if we killed him." Karin agreed silently. She hadn't taken much of an interest in watching all of this unfold, and she only held the sleeping child closer to her and looked away to the ground.

Even after the warning, Kabuto showed no signs of easing off. Finally, after a warning look from Karin, Suigetsu signaled Juugo, and the two boys grabbed Kabuto halve-afraid his wrath would be turned on them.

"Orochimaru's gonna' punish all of us if we fail this mission." Suigetsu warned. "Killing him won't help us at all!" Kabuto shook their restraining hands off of him, grunting and mumbling angrily. He turned and walked away without a word, still red with anger and rage directed at the Jounin. He couldn't wait for the moment where he could kill him in a place where it wouldn't matter whether Konoha knew it or not.

As Kabuto walked away, angry and bitter as he remained, Kakashi had lifted his eyes to watch him walk indignantly away from the group. Blood came from his mouth and nose, and he could feel bruises forming on his face and under his shirt, but it wasn't anything he could hardly handle. The beating hadn't bothered him. Though he was the one with a couple bruises, and a bit of blood dripping, he had won the bigger victory. That was apparent to the both of them, which is why Kabuto had lost his temper so. Kakashi could scowl but he tried to control himself better now, as his sudden anger began to subside and he was feeling much like himself again. He wished he had remained boiling and angry though.

As his anger vanished, he felt that empty hopeless feeling come back to him. His attention now focused on the girl, who still held Sasuke. What Kabuto had said came to him, and now it sounded painful and felt sharp in his heart. Had he really already failed Sasuke now? Was there nothing he could do to save either of them? He felt his head ache as he thought of this and his chest as usual felt heavy and odd with grief and mourning. He had tried fighting, compromising, and now even begging had failed. That's when he resorted to anger, and though it gave Kakashi a fleeting satisfaction and boost of ego, it hardly helped to save Sasuke's life.

"Damn him… Dammit." Kakashi bit hit lower lip irritably, impatient, and anxious. He could feel the emotion well up in his chest, and cloud his mind. He knew he was slipping again into some emotional fit, except it didn't feel like anger this time. He sure he could feel the tears merge into his eyes, but being the jounin he was, he strived not to let them fall. Easier said than done. For once, he was glad for the rain, because he could swear that the warm moisture rolling from his eyes wasn't rain at all. No one but him would ever have to be the wiser though. At least he could refrain from sobbing.

- End

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Amaterasu333

Wow, really didn't mean to stretch on so long without a chapter. I'm very sorry. Been incredibly busy lately, plus I had a hard time finding inspiration for a while. I thank you all for being so patient. Please enjoy. Thank you for the views and reviews in advance…(If I get any :p heh.)

Note:

**Retribuere**

**Latin**

**Etymology: re- (Latin prefix) + tribuere ****(divide, assign; present)**

**Literal Meaning: (to present in return, to reassign in return)**

**Retribution/ Revenge/ Retort**


	19. Apatheia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Okay…So I'm just going to remain quiet until the end. Kay…Thanks.

**Chapter 19: **_Apatheia_

It had been a long, intense, and nerve-racking moment that escalated quickly. Team hebi was usually not interested in getting involved in such disputes, but they made the exceptions this time, opting to save Kakashi and pull an angry Kabuto of the defenseless man. It's not like they had much of a choice anyway. Kakashi couldn't die or else their mission would be at risk. They couldn't risk Konoha looking for them… if they weren't being hunted down already. Who really knew? Regardless, Konoha finding that Kakashi had been killed would surely make the manhunt all the more intensive and they would surely get caught and probably killed for their crimes.

Karin stood holding the sleeping child, and Suigetsu and Juugo stood to one side together. They watched the jounin, and even though he didn't exactly break down in hard tears, they could tell from his heavy posture and lowered face that he was distressed and grieved. For a moment, they all watched the jounin, as if considering the unbearable emotions that must have been coursing through him at that moment. Did it really matter to any of them? Maybe it did.

None of them could say they agreed with the idea of kidnapping the raven-haired brat from his father…or sensei, or whatever, but it was none of their business to challenge the position they had been placed in. They were doing what they were told to in order to survive. They couldn't agonize about the lives of others when their own were hanging by a thread. They didn't want to help Kabuto or Orochimaru. They weren't wired like either of the two. They rather not do these horrible things. But like any other human being, they were wired to survive, so even if they didn't want to, they had to in order to protect and ensure the continuation of their own lives. They couldn't allow anything to get in their way of finally living a real life; not their beliefs, not their emotions, not their morals, and certainly not for the sake of a couple of strangers living while they all died.

But for some unknown reason, each silently realized that even that couldn't make them feel completely justified anymore. They knew they were delivering an innocent child, not simply to Orochimaru, but to its own damnation. A defenseless child was sentenced to a death chamber of poisonous snakes and they might as well have been the executioners.

Suigetsu was the first to snap out of these thoughts and lose interest in watching the beaten jounin. Trying to keep a demeanor of apathy he turned and walked in the direction Kabuto had left in. Right now, they had to live. He refused to look at the Jounin any longer, because he knew it threatened his resolve.

'Morals and feeling can come later when we have that option.' Suigetsu thought mentally, with a look of irritation and annoyance at all of this. "Juugo, Karin! C'mon already. We've got enough hell to deal with from four eyes as it is. No need of getting him any angrier than what's-his-name has already." He said testily, trying to break the others from their attention. Karin nodded and followed, forming a similarly heavy expression of inner anxiety and severe aggravation. Juugo was the last to comply. Of course, he had the job of keeping the jounin, so he had to retrieve the hostaged man before he moved on. Walking up to the jounin slowly, unsure of how he would act, he thought of at first just grabbing him and throwing him over his shoulders as before, but that no longer seem so necessary or appropriate.

Juugo could have grabbed him roughly by the arm, and pulled him to his feet, but he wasn't very rough by nature. To the jounin's surprise, he asked rather…nicely, if he could stand on his feet and walk.

"…if Kabuto hurt you too badly, I could just carry you again." He finished carefully. Kakashi stared incredulously, withheld tears disappearing suddenly.

"No,…No, I'm fine. I can walk." Juugo nodded unsurely and watched the jounin as he progressed slowly and agonizingly to a standing position. Since his wrists were still tied behind his back, Juugo grabbed him at the elbow and helped him up with the support.

Kakashi had no choice but to warily accept it. Juugo began to walk in the direction of his teammates, and Kakashi of course had to unwillingly follow with a sluggish movement. He was able to pick up pace after several seconds and was in step with Juugo after awhile. He looked behind, seeing just the area they were leaving and the thickening wall of trees behind. Evidence of the continuing episodic violence shared between himself and Kabuto marked the ground and the trunk of the tree where he and been slammed into. The rain had nearly completely stopped by this point, but it was still possible that the water would obscure his scent. The damage done to the bark on that tree wouldn't be washed away or made invisible though. He needed to leave any hint he could, so he might have actually been grateful for Kabuto's bad temper at that moment.

He was hopeful that there would be help, if just given enough time. He trusted Pakkun to do his job, and trusted Tsunade to act accordingly and with good strategy. They just needed the time and marking his path would inevitably save a lot. He just hoped that he could do enough. He had hope, but somewhere in the back of his mind, there was still room for doubt; the type that could easily grow and fester if he didn't keep his nerves straight. Silently…silently, he prayed to himself that help would arrive in time.

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Tsunade arrived at the cabin, disturbed by what she saw. The place was obviously disturbed by some skirmish, and it had left evident scares in the terrain and most noticeably in the side of the old building. She walked to the hole in the side of the house, peering in cautiously to look for any movement on the other side.

"Kakashi-San?" she called hopelessly. She knew good and well the man was not in the house, and obviously, neither was Sasuke. Taking the scroll from a pocket on the inside her coat and viewed it glancingly. Kakashi's mark was still there. She knew at least, the he was still alive.

She looked around the terrain, when she noticed even more evidence of the battle. Footprints that hadn't quite filled in yet were everywhere. There were more than two sets, many more. She noticed at least four, maybe as many as five people had to have been there. Kabuto obviously had backup, and Kakashi was just simply overpowered. She noticed as the sets of footprint took off towards the direction of the trees.

Looking once more at the scroll in her hand, she rolled it up tightly and slipped it back into her pocket. "Hang on Kakashi, Sasuke." She headed of in the direction she knew the two had been taken in.

End

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Amaterasu333

So here I finally am, guys. Are you all throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes at me (At your computer screen :p). I would understand. I know this isn't the longest chapter, but don't worry. Though I like to try and get to at least 2000 words, I will stop when I feel it's time for a particular scene to end, because that's just what the chapters are like many times. Some scenes are of course longer than others. To be honest, I didn't exactly have this chapter planned, but I decided to input it because I wanted to write about team Hebi. The team is filled with some of my favorite characters, and I didn't want them to be too shallow in this particular story. That's why I added this chapter that gives a bit of insights to their true characters. They're not just the evil kill-all villains, if they can even be defined as villains. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

I am happy to say that I am nearly done with the next chapter, which is why I mentioned why you shouldn't be worried about the length of this one. It's simply in need of more editing, so you can expect an update very soon. Anyway, as usual, thank you guys so much for your support, views, reviews, and extreme patience. It means more to me than you all probably realize. :D

Note:

**Apatheia**

**Latin**

**Etymology: a- (Latin prefix) + pathes/pathos (feelings, expressions (particularly those dealing with sympathetic or pitying emotions))**

**Literal Meaning: (to present in return, to reassign in return)**

**Apathy/absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement/ indifference. **


	20. Conterere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

**Hi!. Here I am with chapter 20. A follow-up to the last chapter, but it pushes the story forward. I understand that the last chapter didn't really progress much storyline-wise and even as I was writing it I understood this. Heh, I'm sorry to those who felt it should have been more interesting after such a long break and actually completely understand since I have felt the same. Overall, I believe chapter 19 will make the overall story of Sentinel Kakashi stronger, especially those who will be reading the entire story in one or two gos without waiting for updates.  
**

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**Chapter 20: **_**Conterere**_

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Kakashi sat as quietly as possible as he attempted to wrestle his wrists from the tight rope without bringing attention to himself, but it was proving to be impossible. He still felt extremely weak, and he was sure it was due to the jutsu Kabuto had used to suck up all his chakra. Whatever the jutsu was had not only sucked away his chakra, but made it difficult for it to regenerate. So for now, he couldn't even escape the simplistic restraining power of this rope.

Darkness still hung around thickly but Kakashi could guess that dawn had to be just a couple hours away. The group of ninja had stopped and taken the time to rest for the last few hours before the sun began to rise again and Kakashi had been dropped near a tree, tied to its trunk, and left there while Kabuto went off, probably to sulk. The other three set up the camp and started a small fire for though the rain had finally dissipated, it left the air extremely cold, not to mention it was usually coldest before dawn.

Kakashi just sort of sat around casually as he watched the three scrambling. They were a bit unorganized but managed to get things done with that weird and awkward joint effort of theirs. He'd learned from listening and observation the names they went by and a bit of their personality.

There was Juugo, the tall one. Though he was probably the oldest out of the odd trio, he seemed the most submissive, and less dominant than the others. He was also extremely quiet and the most calm.

The younger male was Suigetsu. He was probably about 16 or 17, around the age of his students; well, Naruto and Sakura anyway. He was an eager fighter from what Kakashi had seen of the battle he'd had with him earlier; maybe too eager. Unlike Juugo he could be quite verbal, and was very snarky about it as well.

Karin, also 16 or 17 was a sensor type, and a talented healer; he discovered this when she came down to heal a few of his cuts and bruises when Kabuto wasn't looking. She wasn't quite as good as Sakura, but with training, Kakashi believed she could become so.

Kakashi quickly discovered that Karin and Suigetsu characters couldn't really be completely grasped unless they were together. That was because the two argued constantly, especially when Kabuto wasn't around, or so low, that he couldn't hear or just didn't care.

It was always odd watching them in their bickering. Juugo watched and Kakashi couldn't help but stare. It would first involve name-calling, then vehement shouting if they could get away with it. Finally, Karin would get so angry, she would start beating the boy and his body would erupt and loud splurges of splashing water. It was like watching an extraordinarily-violent Sakura beating up an over-confident and bold Naruto. Then as soon as it started, it stopped, and they were talking as if there was not a huge meaningless argument in which one tried to kill the other. Kakashi brows knitted in confusion every single time but he was starting to understand that that was just the way they interacted and got along and thought perhaps the relationship between them was not much different from the odd relation dynamics of all three of his students had with each other. So in the end, their squabbling and fighting brought the jounin some comfort because it reminded him of his own kids.

Kakashi found the group interesting to say the least, but whether he found them interesting or not wasn't really what he needed. He needed to know how strong they were, their strengths, and their weaknesses. He needed to know how he could handle them. Kabuto obviously allowed enough time for him to handle them alone, as he had already been away for over an hour.

But how could he consider battling these three anytime soon, when he still couldn't even escape this rope. He sighed, letting his head drop.

Then he heard a noise that brought him from his somberness. There were a few soft whimpers and then there was a louder cry. Sasuke had been asleep most of the day, waking up for minutes at a time. Other times, slightly longer in order to drink some water or eat some sort of pureed food that Juugo had in one of the pouches, though he didn't really have an appetite. Kakashi didn't know what the puréed mess was, and he could only hope it wasn't something that would damage him.

He had been asleep for awhile now, and finally he was waking up again. Kakashi was glad he could get some rest, but he was always relieved whenever he woke up.

His cries got louder before the group of three realized him as well, and they gave each other the usual looks, trying to decide who would go near the crying mystery. They acted childishly afraid when it came to handling Sasuke. It was obvious they weren't use to handling small children.

"Don't even look at me. I fed him last time." Karin put forward quickly, folding her arms.

"So what? I changed his diaper!" Suigetsu argued back. "I'm not changing another diaper. It's gross."

"Oh stop being such a baby!"

"Let's not argue." Juugo said, stepping between the two to prevent another battle between them. And once he was sure they wouldn't fight after all, he noticed Sasuke again. "I- I could do it." Juugo offered.

Suigetsu and Karin gave each other a questioning look but eventually showed some wary satisfaction by this answer and they nodded at Juugo's suggestion.

"S-sure," Said Karin diffidently.

"Fine by me, I guess." Suigetsu said in his usual pretend-not-to-care attitude. "Besides. Seeing Karin's face probably would've just made him cry harder." Suigetsu snickered, and Karin gave an evil glare.

Juugo walked toward the tent where he knew the crying boy was. He couldn't imagine what was wrong with him now. He felt a little nervous and a little excited at the same time, though he really wasn't sure why he was either. Once he made it to the front of the tent, he bent down, peeking his head through the vent before entering completely.

When Juugo entered, he saw the boy sitting up with the various soft blankets scattered around him, apparently thrown off in his fit of anger and whatever other emotional responses the boy was going through. He was sitting there still crying and whimpering, his small fist and arms wiping tears frantically from his eyes and face.

"H-hi there." Juugo said cautiously. Sasuke allowed himself to look up for a bit, still sobbing, but so surprised by the presence that he couldn't help but stare curiously and slightly afraid.

"H-hello Sasuke-san." He said as nicely as he could. "Please don't cry." Sasuke's whimpering never stopped and as Juugo got slowly closer, he only seemed more afraid and twitched slightly under the tall man's gaze.

He wasn't used to this person and he had the slightest idea where his dad was. Juugo saw how afraid he was, so he stopped approaching for awhile, allowing Sasuke to get used to his closeness.

The boy seemed suddenly a lot more aware of his surroundings, Juugo noticed. He seemed to realize for the first time that he had been among strangers, because he didn't act this way earlier. Only drowsy and fussy for being woken up. Now he seemed to recognize how strange and uncomforting all of this was. Tears started to well up in his eye again.

"No, wait. Don't cry." Juugo saw that Sasuke was going to cry either way and came closer to pick him up.

"No, no!" cried the helpless toddler. The large man scared him and he shook harder with sobs and tears.

"Shhh. No Sasuke-san. I won't hurt you." Juugo said as softly and comfortingly as possible. He didn't know how to interact with children. He couldn't even remember being interacted with as a kid with anything other than disdain. He in conclusion, could only rely on the examples read in story books.

He noticed that the boy was warm. He remembered Karin telling him that he was ill and had a fever. It was understandable that he would be cranky so he decided that maybe the child would benefit from some cold air. He left the tent with the toddler loosely wrapped by a blanket.

Karin and Suigetsu sat lazily together on an old ruined and calcified fallen tree when they could see Juugo emerging from the tent. They both frowned when they noticed and heard the crying child accompanying him. Kakashi's face gave away an expression of varied emotions, but in the end, he managed to smile sadly toward Sasuke

"What you bring him out here for!" Karin called out from the other side of the camp, watching as Juugo approached.

"I knew we shouldn't have let him do this." Suigetsu muttered lowly to his red-haired partner and Karin elbowed him hard in his ribs, promply shutting up her annoying partner. He rubbed his side woefully as Juugo came up slowly looking slyly culpable.

"I thought he needed some air." He managed to say over the boy's wailing cries. "I think the air will cool him down, and then he'll feel better…maybe." The two looked at him skeptically making the older boy quietly fidget.

"Well just get him to stop crying already." Suigetsu said annoyed by the closeness of the noise. He hadn't heard the boy cry this loud till now.

Sasuke moaned loudly, his pale face illuminated by the fire. Juugo stood there clueless. He didn't know how to stop him, so he just continued to hold him. Then he tried to rock him a little, but he only became more agitated and cried louder. Speaking gently didn't do any good either. He looked to Suigetsu and Karin for guidance. They both offered an unknowing shrug of their shoulders, providing no help at all.

Meanwhile Kakashi was still at the tree looking sadly. He felt a twinge of nervousness and heat creep up his face. What he wouldn't do to get loose from the rope restraining him to the tree. Sasuke's cries made it hard to sit still and the more he listened, the guiltier he felt that he wasn't there to comfort him.

Sasuke obviously hadn't noticed him, though he was only a few yards away. It was still pretty dark after all. Kakashi thought of calling out to him, but decided against it. The three shinobi would probably be angry and he didn't want them to take it out on Sasuke. Still, if Sasuke could know he was there, it would perhaps calm him for a bit. It took all his self-control just to sit there without a word while his son cried of fear.

Sasuke on the other hand grew louder, and he soon made it known to Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu what he wanted.

"Dada!" He cried and wiggled wildly. Juugo looked down, and Suigetsu and Karin, who had broken in an argument over what "the brat" wanted, stopped and looked staggered by the unforeseen input.

"Dada. Daddy!" He continued to cry, wiping he face vainly.

The three looked at each other, their guilt of kidnapping the child washing over them with force enough to make them stiffen up and lose their breath. Kakashi cringed as he heard Sasuke's prayerful words and felt an even greater guilt.

Karin and Suigetsu worked to regain there appearance, blotting out there feelings and struggling with themselves to move on. They did so enough to pretend nothing was wrong, even if it still edged on the back of their calculating minds. Juugo on the other hand wasn't capable of letting it go so quickly or without so much more effort. Not when there was so much guilt that hung over him.

Out of his growing irritability and annoyance, Suigetsu covered his ears, and looked at Juugo angrily. A couple of his gritted, piranha-like teeth could be seen behind his parted lips.

He gave a perceptible moan, and Karin did the same. "It doesn't matter what you do with him, just get 'im to shut up already!" She ordered desperately. This threw Juugo back to his prior ambition of trying to calm Sasuke but he was still clueless.

"But I still don't know what to do…."

"Well do something!" The others shouted simultaneously. That's when an interesting idea struck Juugo. He wasn't really sure if Karin and Suigetsu would agree to it if he asked them, nor was he particularly interested either.

Juugo looked to Kakashi unsurely. He thought that this man was the only way to calm the child down. Sasuke had said it himself. He wanted his father, and Juugo saw no harm in giving them both the chance, if just for a few minutes, to reunite.

Karin and Suigetsu, too paralyzed to do anything but stare incredulously, looked dumbstruck as Juugo walked towards Kakashi and stopped just a couple of feet from him. Sasuke was still crying. Kakashi himself was surprised and unsure of what was happening.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-san." Juugo apologized immediately. "But, I think you're the only one who can calm him down." he smiled nervously. "I was wondering if you could…help me." And Juugo bowed slightly with the child still in his arms. He was genuinely and desperately asking for help and Kakashi was stunned. He almost thought that it was some sort of joke until Juugo reached in his pocket, pulling a small kunai out. He quickly slashed the rope restraining Kakashi's arms and body to the tree.

Normally, he wouldn't have done this. He knew that Kakashi was always thinking of a way to escape, but whether he wanted to or not, he couldn't. Juugo knew the affects of Kabuto's jutsu. He wouldn't be able to do anything for quite a few more hours.

"What the heck do you think you're doing! You're just going to untie him!" Karin practically screamed. Then catching herself, she almost looked frightened. Kabuto could never learn about this. Luckily, she could sense Kabuto was a couple miles away from them, which wasn't a very long traverse when you had the skills of a shinobi. Still, she doubted he had heard that, even with his tuned senses. There were far too many trees.

"For God sakes Juugo…" Suigetsu started.

"You said to do something. This is the only thing I know to do. If anyone knows how to calm Sasuke-San down, it's you, right Kakashi-San?"

Kakashi was so astonished, it was truly hard to react, but he eventually offered a stumbled reply in which he also managed to nod his head. Juugo nearly smiled, and then handed the crying child to Kakashi.

Kakashi had the child in his arms, and Sasuke continued to cry. He seemed so frightened; it disturbed Kakashi and broke his heart to see the tears and the look on his terrified face. He wouldn't even open his eyes, so he had no idea he was in Kakashi's arms.

He just continued to cry "Dada!" frantically, unaware that he had already had his cries answered. Finally, Kakashi spoke up.

"Shhh. Sasuke… Sasu-Chan. C'mon, don't act that way." Kakashi said quietly and slightly bouncing the boy in his arms to gain his attention. As soon as Sasuke heard the familiar, warm voice call out his name, he began to open his eyes. The glazed, onyx, marbles looked up at Kakashi with a bit of fear still in his face, but it soon turned into an expression of bewilderment.

For a moment, Kakashi wasn't sure how the child would react, but it was soon clear as the confusion dropped from his face and was replaced with and expression of astounding joy and excitements.

Sasuke face was still wet with tears, yet they were already long forgotten. He was smiling gleefully as if he'd never experienced a sad moment in his life. Even Kakashi was surprised by the sudden transformation, but he was filled with such strange relief at the same time. Kakashi's face lit up with joy at seeing Sasuke's smile. It felt like it had been ages since he had witnessed it.

Meanwhile, team Hebi observed silently as the child and his father bonded in their reuniting. Juugo had a small smile, feeling almost warm inside looking at the two. He felt that his decision wasn't so bad as long as Kabuto never found out about this. Suigetsu and Karin on the other hand, were much too nervous to feel much elation, but neither also couldn't help but realize and understand better the relationship between Sasuke and Kakashi. Any warm feeling they might have had were overtaken by anxiety however and both felt a clamminess flush their skin.

As Karin, Suigetsu, and even Juugo, watched the father and son, each experienced the trial of some inner conflict, and more strongly than ever, they felt guilt overtake them. Now even Juugo's smiled had turned into a sad one and it was clear that the guilt was beginning to grind away at his heart.

* * *

Though Karin was certain to keep the strong sensing abilities focus at all times, she missed the threats the solemn forests offered. Too silent to hear, too dark to see, and too natural to identify as an enemy, Karin stood no chance of identifying the the dozens of tiny snakes that infiltrated the camp and watched the scene between Hebi and the captives take place, their infrared sensitivities giving them the advantage in the dark.

They licked the air with their lithe tongues, their senses taking in every detail; and somewhere deep in the forest, Kabuto licked his lips with a snake-like motion and smiled menacingly, his mind filling with evil intent.

End

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Amaterasu333

And that's the end of chapter 20. Not the most exciting chapter, but you take the filler-like stuff with the rest. The reason I say filler-like is because I don't really consider it filler, just not as exciting and plot driven. It's still important I think. I was always one for characterization. Anyway, I thought the ending was something to add some nice anticipation, something that was absent in the last chapter. Also, to understand why no one could notice the snakes or at least hear them, I encourage you all to look up "_Leptotyphlops carlae." _I knew I wanted to use these guys as dirty spies from the moment I learned about them :p.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading. I appreciate your views, reviews and support._  
_

Note:

**Conterere**

**Latin**

**Etymology: con (Latin prefix meaning with/together) + -terere (to grind, to rub; rub, wear away, wear out)**

**Literal Meaning: frighten thoroughly; fill with terror; suppress;**

**Derived words: Contrite/penitent**


	21. Delirare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Hello everyone. It's been awhile but I thank you so much for your patience. I want to thank my reviewer and followers and thank all those who have recently decided to follow me over my little hiatus. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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**Chapter 21: **_Delirare_

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It had been close to eight hours since the search to recover the taken shinobis and apprehend the criminals had begun. Tsunade, the Hokage herself, felt this mission was too urgent not to go. God knows what would happen if Orochimaru got his hands on Sasuke and his sharingan. He would train the poor boy to be a cold blooded, and she was quite sure, efficient and effective killing machine and the ruin of Konoha. Kakashi, both strong in power and morals, was too good a shinobi to simply sit behind a desk and wait for others to hopefully find him. Lastly, she had had it up to her neck with Kabuto and Orochimaru. They were proving to be quite an annoying and bothersome duo, and frankly, she wanted to strangle one with the other. She had simply had enough.

It were these three strong driving forces that caused her to rush out of her office the moment Pakkun had informed her on what happened, not to mention she partly blamed herself for this mess. Even if alone, there was no time to waste. The lives of two important shinobi and many of innocents further down the line seemed to depend on her at the least catching up to Kabuto and getting her shinobi back, even if she had to do it alone.

It wasn't long before she had some help though. Pakkun had done as he was ordered and had assembled a small team to find and save Sasuke and Kakashi. Pakkun had remembered that Tsunade had always wanted to keep the "Uchiha Sasuke incident" very confidential which dissuaded him from asking anyone other than Naruto, Sakura, and Yamoto. He had little time to find many more shinobi than that anyways.

That wasn't many shinobi, but it would do. "Good job Pakkun." Tsunade thanked him quickly. "Can you smell the trail?" She asked, wanting a second opinion on her estimated route.

Pakkun sniffed the air close the ground briefly. "I can smell the scents of Kakashi mingled with Kabuto and the others, but it's so faint, it won't last long." He warned. "We are on the right track though."

"Then let's speed up!" Naruto screamed eagerly. He was angry and he wanted nothing more than to Rasengan the life out of Kabuto. No way was that bastard getting away again. Last time Kakashi and Kabuto had battled, he did not get a chance at all. This time, he wouldn't be left out and he could give Kabuto a piece of his fist.

"Right" Sakura agreed. Yamato remained silent but focused.

They were all ready to face whatever came their way to get Sasuke and Kakashi back.

* * *

Daylight was finally breaking through the shroud darkness of night and faint streaks of light could be barely seen piercing through the treetops. The beams were strengthening by the minute and very soon, it would be light enough to see normally.

It had been 40 minutes since Kakashi's and Sasuke's reuniting and Kakashi was still bonding with his fortune, even if he had fallen back asleep in the comfort of his father's arms around 15 minutes prior.

Suigetsu still seemed nervous about it and wanted this to end quickly, even if he was a little gracious that the jounin could quiet the boy down. Karin, also nervous, spent her time by the dying fire, staring into the fading flames; at the scolding, red cinders, and with her mind collected in dreary thought. There were things on her mind that she wouldn't admit to but it all put her in a dire mood.

Suigetsu and Juugo were patient and watchful making sure that Kakashi didn't try anything with a mind to escape. Kakashi however was thinking of no such thing. Such an action in his state would only put Sasuke's delicate life in danger and of course he was reluctant to disturb and jeopardize his time with the toddler snuggled in his arms.

Kakashi was still somewhat confused though. He could only wonder why his enemies were doing this and acting so strangely, and all so suddenly. Maybe they really were just that annoyed by Sasuke's crying, but here Sasuke had been soundly asleep for almost 20 minutes and they hadn't made a move to take him back. There just seemed to be something else and he just couldn't understand it. Finally, he had to ask.

"Why did you give Sasuke to me…?" It was a very awkward question but he wouldn't feel comfortable with this situation until he asked. They all looked at him with confused faces.

"You seemed to be the only thing that would calm him down." Juugo said.

There was silence after this and Kakashi looked around at them, trying to read the expressions of their faces. "That can't be the only reason." He started again. "I can see it in your faces. I've been trained to read people's expressions and their actions, and apparently, none of you have been trained to hide them very well. I can tell that there's something else. So why don't you just come out. Why are you doing any of this if you don't really want to?"

All of them opened their mouths to speak, but nothing came. They didn't know what to say, and another silence fell over the solemn group of ninja.

"I get the impression that you don't really like Kabuto or Orochimaru, and your hearts obviously aren't in this job. So then… you must be in this for some personal gain? Then answer me this question. What exactly are you after?"

They seemed startled after this and they gave Kakashi all their attention, looking him straight in his eye, which seemed to know their deepest secrets. Kakashi guessed from their reaction that he was absolutely right. These people were obviously nothing like Orochimaru, or even Kabuto. They weren't killers by nature. They were kids, two of them not much older then his students and it was obvious that they were struggling with every thing they did. The silenced sustained for several moments. It was difficult to respond to this. Kakashi showed no signs of speaking again, until they spoke.

"You…you're r-right." Juugo admitted finally. Karin shot him a look, and Juugo did his best to ignore it.

"Then, why?"

"It's not like we have a choice. When we're told to do something, we do it." Karin said suddenly angered. "Did you really believe we had options!? The only thing we have is our mission and our goal. And that goal is to be free from Orochimaru altogether, so that we never have to do this again…and there's no other way to do it."

"So Orochimaru told you all that you would be free from him, huh? Do you really believe that? If there's anything Orochimaru is good at, it's using and manipulating people for his own ends, not theirs. He wouldn't allow you such a reward. There's no way you haven't considered that. You're all going on pure hope and that's just what he wants. He wants to control you all. You'll die before he gives you that. Either by some outside force or by Orochimaru's very own hands."

"It easy for you to say something like that! Well, that's no surprise, when you have a whole village to back you up whenever you're in danger! We're by ourselves. Most of those who are like us back in the sound…they'll even stab each other's backs half the time if it can get them farther out of Orochimaru's way. We're on our own, so we make the best out of what we have…and try not to think too hard about everything else."

Now Kakashi was the one to pause, not knowing completely what to say. It was all about survival, and these young shinobi was doing what they had to do to live and hopefully see a better future. What sort of hell must they have been through already? How could it be so easy to miss such a vital details? And all of this was because of Orochimaru; that ruthless snake who would do anything to have his way. Kakashi understood a bit more, and now he felt guilty for what he had said.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly and team hebi looked upon him again with slight surprise in their eyes.

"I hadn't fully considered what it must be like for you all." He had imagined what horrible things Sasuke would be put through if Orochimaru got a hold of him, but now he saw that Sasuke was not the only one. There had been many innocent children before him and Sasuke would not be the last unless Orochimaru was put to an end for good.

"I'm sorry that you've been put through this sort of torture. Some of what you've been through…you could say it's what I fear for him." Kakashi motioned to Sasuke, whose tiny fist held onto a part of his vest and his head lying on his chest as he slept peaceably. "I can't bare to imagine what Orochimaru will do to him. I realize though that Sasuke is not the only victim. I'm sorry."

The three now looked dumbfounded, as if the Jounin had said something ridiculous. They had not expected such a response. No one ever spoke to them that way. Words of sympathy and regret on their behalf? It was odd and they had no idea how to respond. How were they supposed to react? All of them were searching for something to say, but no one knew.

Before the discussion could go forward, something caught Karin's attention, causing her to gasp and look in a direction of the forest, alarmed.

"What is it, Karin?" asked Juugo curiously.

Karin didn't speak immediately but closed her eyes, in order to improve her concentration. When she eventually opened them, she seemed even more alarmed than before.

"We have to go!" She warned them.

"What? Konoha?" Suigetsu questioned.

"Yes, I think so. There's a number of varying chakra signatures coming from Konoha's direction. It must be a search party. It's also Kabuto. He's approaching fast and will reach us before the Konoha ninja." At this, Suigetsu's eyes widened and he seemed to have to force himself to hold back a resonance of desolation. He honestly didn't know if he feared Konoha or Kabuto most. At least Konoha would kill them civilly in a fair fight. Kabuto would play his teacher's pet card to get Orochimaru's approval to experiment on them until they reached their slow, painful, but eventual demise.

When Kakashi heard the sensor's announcement, a wave of relief hit him. At the same time, Kabuto made him extremely nervous, but Konoha being close was reassuring. He was sure it was the search team, but he was careful to hold his optimism and excitement and keep it to himself.

Regardless of his silence and reserved attitude, team hebi could guess his thoughts and Karin and Suigetsu were sure to look at him with the most evil glare they could possibly endow, as if he was directly responsible for their bad fortune. Juugo was quiet but appeared to be thinking over the situation and the actions that was about to take place.

Karin adjusted her glasses, as she looked closely at the jounin. Kakashi held Sasuke closer under the girls gaze. "You're going to hand him over now!" She ordered. This was a game of double jeopardy, and she was extremely panicky. Kakashi was silent, unsure of what to do about the volatile girl. When Kakashi proceeded to do nothing, Karin only seemed more flustered and irritated.

"Kakashi-San." Juugo butted in before Karin's temper kicked into overdrive. "It's not a good idea to make this difficult. Think of what Kabuto-san will do if he sees you with Sasuke. Your life and Sasuke's will be in danger. So please, hand him to Karin? She won't hurt him." Juugo said calmly.

As much as he hated to admit it, Juugo made sense. Kakashi reluctantly gave Sasuke up as he cursed quietly under his breath. The baby squirmed slightly in his sleep as he was switched over, but thankfully, he did not wake from his somewhat disturbed slumber.

Kakashi then reluctantly allowed his wrist to be tied behind his back… again. It was becoming quite annoying, demeaning, and honestly embarrassing. He was extremely tempted to resist, but left the thought to die, as he knew his strength still was not on his side. It was a matter of time, though. He could feel it etching back into his muscles as his chakra forced itself to flow more freely again, but, it was going to take a little more time.

Suigetsu worked quickly to pack some of the camping supplies, even if he did so a bit sloppily. It was hard working in the little light,… with the thought of violently dying in the back of your mind. It was kind of tantalizing, really.

"Let's go." Karin urged. "That way. We'll run into Kabuto, and tell him about the Konoha squad. I don't think he'll get mad if he knew why we packed up without him." They began moving. Karin in front, followed by Suigetsu, Kakashi, and Juugo urging the quiet Jounin forward with nudges to his shoulder.

Within the next several minutes of pushing forward, Karin sensed Kabuto was close, and felt that it was best to stop and wait or else they should accidentally pass one another. They looked up searchingly into the treetops. Sure enough Kabuto jumped into vision and stood atop one of the taller perches. He did not jump down right away, but looked down on the small number of people on the forest floor. Kakashi also viewed the reviled man quietly from where his was standing, and noticed there was an odd expression on his face. A strange cross between a sneer and a smirk. Kakashi's brow rose.

"You're moving forward. Why?" He stated in a quiet manner. His voice sounded as abnormal as he looked. There was something in it that made it sound venomous and full of warning, almost like the hiss of a snake ready to attack. Team Hebi was surprisingly quiet and Kakashi looked to his side to view their faces. They seemed a bit questioning. They had picked up on Kabuto strange behavior as well.

Kabuto's eyes squinted now, as he received silence. He was careful to control himself, but for how much longer. He was angry. These weak ninja couldn't be trusted. It didn't matter. He didn't need them at all. Orochimaru hadn't much use for them either, and once Orochimaru found out about their reckless betrayal, he would rather have their heads than them alive.

Besides, they had no right to be here at all. How dare they try to take his place? The Uchiha was his mission. **His;** and these morons thought they could complete it in his place. They got him out of prison, but for what? Only to mess up here? Kabuto could have escaped himself. If given the time, he would have. Now he had to deal with a bunch of traitors.

"I asked you a question!" He barked angrily from on top the branch, and then lithely jumped down, directly in front of Karin. The group was dazed at Kabuto's tone. What had happened to make him like this? Was he still angry about his confrontation with Kakashi?

"W- we…" Karin stuttered, flustered by the incensed man's sudden descend. His glasses glared in the light of the sun rising just behind her, and Karin could not see the rage and maleficent glare in his eyes due to the reflecting glass lens.

The girl nervously looked down, using the baby as an excuse, as Kabuto sudden approach had caused the boy to frighten and jump in his sleep. He started to whimper and Karin backed up.

"What the hell!" Suigetsu said angrily. "What's your problem?" Kabuto was a nutcase, this much Suigetsu was sure of and he did not hesitate to vocalize his annoyance. It was hell listening to Sasuke cry, and it was hell being stuck with Kabuto. He could not deal with both of them together, especially with the thought of Konoha approaching.

"You controlling freak. We packed because it was a good time to. You're not over this mission." Suigetsu pointed at Kabuto accusingly. "We are. Remember. You failed your part! That's why we're taking you back to Orochimaru. You're our mission, just as much as the brat. You're not in charge. You're in no position to be." Suigetsu crossed his arms in defiance, not realizing just how emotionally unsettled Kabuto was at that moment.

"Perhaps it's better to be a failure who has a chance to return some glory, rather than a lowlife traitor who will never be labeled more than that." Suigetsu was left bewildered and confused, not understanding what Kabuto meant nor did Kabuto care to explain.

"Daddy?" Came a low mumbling voice. Everyone looked and for a moment, the eyes left Kabuto.

Sasuke had woken up and rubbed his eyes as he looked around confused. Realizing that he was not in Kakashi's arms any longer, it seemed as if he wanted to cry, but remained quiet until he spotted his Dad just a few yards from him. That's when he began to call out to him, raising his arm towards him. Kakashi of course could not do anything.

"No. Noooo!" Sasuke fussed and whined to his captor, trying to escape Karin's grip, and the girl did her best to make him stop, but he would not. This is when Kabuto took full notice, perhaps becoming truly annoyed with the scene of the boy trying to reach his 'father.'

"Disgusting." Kabuto rebuked, with suddenly a menacing smile curving his lips faintly. "Sasuke will have no use for such bonds. It's best that he's severed from them now, at a young, tender time." He chuckled cruelly. "They learn so quickly at this age. Don't you all think so?" He said. Kakashi stiffened at this. It was clear that Kabuto meant him.

'Shit. C'mon. I could use some back up right about now!' He thought, knowing that hia team of rescue were approaching but still too far. He didn't have the sort of time it would take for them to reach him and he knew that he could not depend on them as a way out of this.

"I want you to watch carefully Sasuke." The boy whimpered and shook his head as if to say 'no' as Kabuto came towards him, sensing the danger he was facing. Kabuto's very presence was associated with fear at this point and the boy was very scared of what he would do.

"Give him to me." Kabuto ordered Karin in that dark awkward voice from earlier. Karin wasn't sure what to do. Normally she would have obeyed just for the sake of getting rid of the kid, and not making things any more difficult than necessary. What Kabuto wanted to do wasn't completely clear, but she realized that he wanted to kill Kakashi and that he wanted an innocent child to watch. Kabuto wanted Sasuke to witness his own father killed in front of him, and maybe that was just enough to make Karin hesitate, even if only slightly.

The girl was hesitating, to Kabuto's displeasure and subsequent infuriation. "Fine" Kabuto said darkly, not giving the girl any further chance.

Sudden fear overtook her as it did the other members of team hebi. Even Kakashi felt something odd emanate within the group. They all felt it simultaneously; a sensation of utter dread; a premonition of something horrible.

Kabuto grabbed Sasuke from her forcefully, causing Sasuke to shriek. Out of fear; out of pain; maybe both. Either way it made Kakashi furious but what could he do. Any action, or even speaking would make Kabuto that much angrier.

Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin had no idea how to react to Kabuto's actions. As much as they hated to admit it, they had a slight fear of him, and right now, he was the scariest he'd ever been. He seemed honestly psychotic.

Sasuke began to cry loudly now. He was being held too tight and in a strange position, and as if he wasn't scared of Kabuto enough, his fear had just instinctually doubled.

"Quiet!" he barked. "I'll show you what it means to be like me and Orochimaru-Sama!" He directed to the boy crying and twisting in his arms. "After Orochimaru-Sama and I are done with you, there'll be no tears or weakness left in you. And certainly no such useless bonds." He said looking directly at Kakashi.

Kakashi stood there, not certain what to do. His hands were tied, literally. What was he suppose to do? If only he could untie his hands. His best bet was to try and dodge long enough for Konoha to save him. What a stupid and horrible plan. But what else could he do. If he at least had his sharingan eye uncovered.

Kabuto smirked, knowing the man must have felt so trapped. There was nothing more satisfying than having your prey backed into a corner and made so helpless. Kabuto chuckled at the sight of Kakashi who was completely defenseless.

Kabuto's chakra suddenly spiked, and Kakashi knew it was coming, and he guessed that this would be the quickest attack Kabuto would ever throw. He was not sure if his body would dodge but he prayed in the back of his mind as sweat beaded on his forehead. Team Hebi shuffled nervously on their feet. Sasuke continued to cry. The air felt suffocating for everyone, even Kabuto, whose respiration was quick from anticipation and excitement. Kabuto's hand glowed, and Karin could sense the massive wave of chakra coursing through his hand and swallowed hard, but it was difficult because her throat felt so painfully constricted as if a snake was around her neck. She closed her eyes subconsciously.

Kabuto noticed, as he flicked his eyes from Kakashi to the members of team hebi.

And suddenly, Kabuto accelerated forward at lightning speed. And Kakashi focused his eye trying to track the movement; needing to dodge the man at the last moment at all cost. But to Kakashi's surprise, Kabuto did not appear there in front of him as he thought he would. He realized how stiff his body had been in expectation of the blow, but nothing came, and it took a moment for him to understand why.

Kabuto smirked evilly, as he had hit his target. Though not his main target, Kakashi, it was satisfying to feel the warm blood of the body his hand had penetrated. There was a pause as it all sunk in what had happened. Kabuto pulled his hand from the inside of the now bleeding chest.

Kakashi's eye widened, and so did the rest of team hebi. It wasn't Kakashi Kabuto had aimed for, but Karin, who stood there now motionless. She didn't understand at first. Her mind could not register the attack nor did it register the pain right away. Her eyes were no longer closed and she could she Kabuto's evil smirk. And then suddenly, it hit her; the wave of pain that rippled through her chest cavity and across her abdomen.

Karin's breath was blown away, and she could not say a word. She grabbed her chest painfully and with a loud choking gasp, fell to her knees.

"Karin!" Cried Suigetsu as he ran to her side to help. Juugo could only stare in shock, wordless, as if in some trance. The two temporarily ignored Kabuto as he stepped back slowly with the trembling Sasuke in his hands who was crying tears of terror and confusion.

"That is what happens to traitors!" Kabuto half chuckled maniacally, holding the trembling child even closer to him as he noticed a look of complete shock and growing anger on Kakashi's face.

Kakashi could feel his muscles tremulous, but not with fear. It was complete rage. He could not stand to have this happen anymore. He had to get Sasuke away from Kabuto. He had to get his son out of this…before it was too late.

- End

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Amaterasu333

Phew. Long wait, I know. But it took me awhile to get this chapter in a state that I felt okay with plus I don't get as much time to type these days. It's a bit on the long side, which is good considering the wait and the material of the chapter. It was the second halve that took so long I'll have you know. It's not easy making Kabuto so darn crazy. I wanted something shocking happen this chapter as well. I just hope I pulled it off okay.

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Note:

**Delirare**

**Latin**

**Etymology: De (Latin prefix meaning to go/to turn away) + -lira (a forrow)**

**Literal Meaning: To turn away from the furrow or path/To deviate from the path or pattern/ **

**Derived Words: Delirium/Delirious/ Deranged/ Madness.**

**Delirium: A rapid onset of derangement or madness lasting for a short time.**


	22. Intercipere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

First thing's first. I'm very sorry for the absence. In my time away, I have gotten many reviews and some wonderful supporters that have added me and my stories into their favs and alerts. I truly appreciate this and I have recently reread the reviews I have received since the story's beginning. It warms my heart to see all the love my writing has gotten since way back then, and I'm not sure if I even deserve it. You guys inspire me to improve my story-telling and I hope that I can only become better for you guys to enjoy. Lately, I have a lot of different ideas in my head for other stories. Won't comment on that at the moment however. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter 22: Intercipere**

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Kakashi stood there, infuriated. His teeth were clenched.

'How?!' was all he could think. The question rolled over again and again in his whitening mind. 'How could someone strike down their teammate so easily and not feel anything.' No. Kabuto did feel something. It was utter joy and pride in the fact that he nearly ended the girl's life instantly.

Kakashi glanced to Karin who was on her arms and knees, her face hidden in the wet grass, as she gasped and moaned in pain. Suigetsu was crouched beside her, panicked and not knowing how to help. He had no medical jutsu or any supplies, and no means to save her. He could only watch her crying there pitifully until she died.

Juugo was lost, his eyes wide and large body trembling as he watched his friends. "K-K-Karin." He stuttered, hyperventilation attacking him. His chest began to heave as he approached his two teammates, tears brimming at his eyes.

Kabuto looked up towards the treetops. Ravens sat around, cawing lowly to each other, as if a frenzy of gossip had taken over among them. "They can feel the oncoming carnage. They're waiting to see which out of us will be their meals." Kabuto observed. "Who out of us will lose." The sick man made sure to show how amused and excited he was.

The scene was enough to make Kakashi scream. He couldn't handle it. For some reason, he felt himself loosing it again. All his reserve, burning away. He'd been like that a lot recently. So damn emotional. But he couldn't help it. "You sick bastard!" Kakashi lost his temper and unleashed vehemently. Kabuto stood there with the same humored look on his face making Kakashi angrier. He felt himself pulling his wrist apart furiously as he tried to loosen the restraints.

"Don't be so eager. You'll get yours soon enough." Kabuto smirked. "Your father wants to die quickly, doesn't he Sasuke. Yes, they say waiting is the most painful part." Kabuto chuckled pulling Sasuke closer to his body; his hand trailing the child's face, assuring some of the girl's blood was left there.

"Don't touch him!" Kakashi screamed still struggling. Kabuto smirked, challenging his opponent, using his bloodied hand to grab forcibly at Sasuke's chin and tilt his head up to look at Kakashi beseechingly.

If it meant cutting his own hands off, Kakashi was going to escape that damned rope. He pulled furiously still, staying true to his word as the rope began to slice into his wrist. He could feel the warm moistness of his own blood soaking into the twine, the excess rolling of his fingertips. Even though he was absolutely injuring himself, perhaps even impairing himself, he didn't care. This was Sasuke's life; his son's, and all rationale could be thrown out the window along with his concern for himself.

Did Kabuto notice the determination in Kakashi's eyes; in the way he moved his body; the way he made that fierce animal-like eye contact that challenged him in every way imaginable? Could Kabuto imagine? His own enjoyment of the situation impaired him. He was too confident, even as Kakashi's effort began to show effects as the rope began to tear, and his hands were starting to slip through the loops due to the extra lubrication of blood.

Had Kabuto's seal broken so prematurely and how the man's chakra could have regenerated so quickly… was strange. It was the adrenaline that sped up the process of getting his body to some sort of shinobi working order…and maybe even a bit of that will of fire coursing through his veins. But Kabuto did not care, because he was so confident, his senses heighted and impaired by his own mania.

Kakashi kept pulling, cutting deeper into his flesh, but getting closer to freeing himself. It was the blood that gave him the last noose as his bloodied hands slipped from the rope, and now he felt was the time to pursue every ounce of strength in every muscle. Kabuto held up the child as if to remind Kakashi that he still had the upper hand. He held the defenseless child up as a shield, laughing hysterically as Kakashi stiffened again. He had to go all or nothing to save Sasuke, but at the same time, he couldn't be reckless.

But in at least one way, he knew he would have to be, reaching up and letting a couple of his fingers graze the part of the hitai-ate that covered the revered sharingan. Kabuto's eyes narrowed and Kakashi focused his train of thought. He was prepared to risk everything right now, if just to save Sasuke.

The moment was filled with a tense silence. Kabuto anticipated what Kakashi's next move would be. He knew he would have to watch closely for the sharingan's techniques, knowing from a previous encounter of just how problematic and deceptive they could be. He would be sure to gouge that eye out and crush it in his hand. The damned sharingan. It sometimes seemed to be the root of all his problems. He never knew what exactly his problem was, but it was something to do with the sharingan,… or was it the Uchiha blood or Uchihas in general? Sasuke in particular. How he hated Sasuke, the ridiculous child crying in his arms. It was beyond him why Orochimaru-San wanted someone so weak.

Kakashi looked at Kabuto silently, but within him, there was a storm of thought. He needed a way to save Sasuke before he could take on Kabuto seriously. He had a feeling the others would not interfere with his attempts to save him, at least not right now. If he could just get Sasuke out's of Kabuto's grip, and he was going to use the sharingan to do it. Though his chakra still had not fully regenerated, he would have to do. It would be enough to use his sharingan.

But enough thinking it through. It was time to put the kekke genkai to use. He patted his pockets and pouches for weapons, and as expected found no such thing. They had been stripped by his captors. He would have to take them back. He only needed just a kunai or shuriken. He reached up grabbing his hitai-ate, readying his body for the massive drainage of chakra soon to come. Kabuto watched, waiting to see just what the jounin would do, seeing if he could reveal any sort of bluff. But then…an unanticipated factor on the battlefield.

A scream broke through the field; heavy, strangled, pained, and full of anger. Kakashi was startled and so was Kabuto, their eyes flittering in search of the violent screech. And there came a shadow descending heavily upon them. Kakashi looked up, hardly understanding what he was seeing but his instincts kicked in nonetheless and he quickly dodged out its way. Thankfully, only for Sasuke's sake, did Kabuto initiate the defensive movement, even before Kakashi could. He too jumped out of range of the falling mass of muscle and rage before it came crashing to the ground, uprooting earth, and disheveling a mass of dust and rocks. Grunts and heavy breathing were heard but Kakashi's vision was impaired by the clouded air. The particles settled slowly to the ground and small pebbles and disintegrated blades of grass were pulled back to earth revealing the disfigured from.

Tall and animal-like, the creature stood in the midst of the crater he had shaped. The brown scaly blotches along part of it's body, the yellow eyes, the claws, and oblong and pointed horns growing from the many places were a startling sight. It showed it's fangs as it screamed again out of fury. It took some time, but as Kakashi looked closer and upon noticing the bright orange hair, and a small portion of the left side of his face that had yet to transform, he realized that this monster was Juugo, in some sort of altered state. And then it clicked, that he had partly seen this before.

It was like a course seal, but was it? It was different somehow. The waves of chakra exploding off his body seemed to come from within rather than out of some hole anywhere on his body. That's how Kakashi seemed to visualize it when Sasuke had been taken by the seal. Unnatural and something external unleashing it's control over Sasuke. This was different. It was completely internal, as if it was natural. Either way, this was a problem. A big one.

Another scream, and Juugo launched forward. To Kakashi's utter fear, the attack was directed at Kabuto. This would have been just fine if not for the fact that Sasuke's life was placed defenselessly in the middle.

Kabuto was staggered by the sudden attack. He wasn't expecting it, but now placed in the midst of the situation, he wasn't surprised by Juugo's disgusting lack of control. Now he was nothing but monster, inside and out. There was no stopping him until he calmed down, and there was probably no calming down until he was dead.

Kabuto, with a crying child in his hands, launched himself into a tree to avoid another crater creating leap from the cursed creation. "Fine. You're next." Kabuto stated knowing but unable to admit how much of a distraction this sort of power would be.

"Juugo." Kakashi heard Suigetsu mutter aloud as he held a now unconscious Karin on his lap.

"Tell him to stop. Please. Sasuke will get hurt this way."

"I-I can't." Suigetsu admitted. "When he's like this he can't be controlled. When he's out for blood this way, it's hard to get him to snap out of it until he gets what he wants. And right now, that's Kabuto's head. This Juugo doesn't care that there's a kid in his path."

Kakashi gritted his teeth. "Give me your kunai.", Kakashi ordered. Suigetsu blinked at the demand. He was taking orders from the jounin now?

"Now!" Kakashi ordered again, and Suigetsu did as he was told and unstrapped a belt from his waist containing a secondary weapon compartment. Kakashi returned it with a pouch from his belt. Throwing it to the boy, it was caught with shaky hands. "Do what you can for her while I stop your friend. I'll won't kill him."

The pouch was full of some medical supplies, and Suigetsu wanted to say thanks, but his mouth moved without actually saying anything, as if he'd forgotten how to, and by the time he remembered how it was said, Karin moaned unconsciously reminding him to get to work on the girl who was loosing too much blood.

Kakashi headed toward the battle, strapping the belt to him and then uncovering his sharingan. His hands began to perform the seals, and afterwards, sparks of lighting flickered to life in his hand.

Juugo leaped again, gathering a mass of chakra in the muscles grouped in his left arm and hand. He aimed for Kabuto, approaching at an increasing speed. Kabuto prepared to counter the attack, but before Juugo came too much closer, an entangling ball of lighting exploded against his shoulder.

Kakashi and Juugo fell from midair after the attack, jounin landing on his feet, and Juugo surprisingly doing the same. Some flesh was blown off the transformed boy's shoulder, and what was there was burnt black and burgundy, the flesh still searing and smoking from the scorching attack. Somehow, regardless of this injury, Juugo seemed mostly unfazed, except he seemed angrier.

He made a deep animal-like groan and gave a feral, teeth-baring grin. A horned hand rose in Kakashi's direction, and a cylindered hollowed bone grew from the center of the palm.

A dense chakra gathered there and it began to materialize as glowing hot light. He could feel the heat from several yards away. He could practically see it radiating in waves. A purplish hot light centered in the cylindral space in his hand.

A Barrel!

Kakashi realized just as the beam was blasted from the barrel structure. He leaped into a tree, just quick enough to dodge it, but the aim followed him up, and he had no choice but to keep moving.

Juugo lost focus of his target, not knowing whether it was Kakashi or Kabuto he was after and not caring. He was just angry, and full of wrath. He no longer cared who he hit, as long as he hit someone or something. His hand swept across the battle zone, the beam of chakra exploding the bark of trees causing them to shift dangerously, some of them falling and most of them catching aflame. The situation became worse when Juugo released the same power from the other hand, causing twice the damage. Suigetsu had to remove him and Karin just to avoid cascaded trees or just their burning branches that attempted to crush them.

Kakashi moved quickly and gracefully, working to avoid that powerful mass of chakra that would instantly burn a hole through his body if caught in its path. He did not switch locations randomly, but made sure to keep up with Kabuto, who carelessly jumped to dodge Juugo's rampant attack as well. Kakashi moved quickly and in calculative direction.

Kabuto was on the defensive, but it annoyed him. It made him feel like a coward. It was only for the Uchiha, but he was losing the patience to keep this up and was preparing to switch to more offensive tactics even if it endangered Sasuke's life.

Kakashi felt this. Kabuto didn't have the resolve to protect Sasuke, even if it was his mission to. In fact, he was sure Kabuto hated him and would rather see him dead if not for Orochimaru. And now, Kakashi felt hurried to get to him quickly before he did something ridiculous.

As this crossed the jounin's mind, he noticed the attack weakening, then finally last the rays of destruction had exhausted and relinquished itself from Juugo's hands and nothing but a few strands of chakra, along with a cloud of smoke accompanied by the smell of burning flesh came from the hollowed bone.

Now was Kabuto's chance to attack, seeing as the monster was panting heavily and had to recover, but Kakashi wasn't letting this happen. He jumped from a lower branch and appeared at Kabuto's side, his sharingan spinning.

Kabuto noticed the jounin in his peripheral vision and could barely see the flash of red of his sharingan. He used a summoning to call a snake from within his own clothing. A snake slipped from one of his sleeves and went towards Kakashi's face.

Revealing an already activated raikiri, his right hand zipped through the serpent's flesh.

"Dammit." Kabuto muttered and jumped, scarcely missing the rest of Kakashi's attack. His opponent of course quickly followed not missing a step. And now the two were suddenly in mid-air, the landing premeditated to be a branch a few yards away.

Kakashi reached. Kabuto gasp, the snakes failing and unable to activate a larger summoning or a jutsu in this position with one arm full and he being in midair. Yet Kakashi seemed completely oriented in his position with his sharingan spinning and confidence growing.

Kakashi launched forward, aiming for Kabuto's neck and sure enough, he attached his hand as soon as he was within distance. "Got you!" Kakashi declared. He could feel the young man's pulse palpitating, his carotids and jugular lay right underneath his hand. Kakashi, feeling deadly, squeezed tight, causing Kabuto to suffocate. The jounin continued mercilessly, pressuring Kabuto and causing him to panic.

Finally, their feet touched the solid bark of a branch and Kabuto's back hit it's trunk. Kakashi pulled out a kunai with the hand not gripping his white neck and thrust forward. It struck him in the shoulder and cut cleanly, right through to the bark leaving him pinned. Kabuto growled in pain but looked defiantly at Kakashi and then suddenly grinned even under the strain of being strangled and the pain of the blade.

"Y-you want…Sa-suke. Y-you can ha-have him." The boy dangled helplessly from Kabuto's loosening grip and then he let the child go. Sasuke plummeted from the treetops as the snake used his hands to grab hold of Kakashi arm, refusing to let him save Sasuke. Kabuto felt the grip dissipate from his neck. He could breathe again and the blotches of black in his vision started to clear, yet the body of the jounin remained, his hand still gripping his neck. He hadn't even made a move to save Sasuke. Not a single effort to dispatch Kabuto's hold so he could get away. Then what had happened to…?

Kabuto looked down, and sure enough Kakashi had the child in his hands, there safely on the ground. Then this was a clone? Kabuto glanced at the Kakashi near him. 'No' Kabuto thought, his eyes squinting as the image of the jounin in front of him disappeared and it was as if he was never there. His presence was gone, not a trace of him left. Not even marks on his neck. Only an accelerated heartbeat, and a light twinge of pain in his head. 'A genjutsu?' he thought. Yet, here was a kunai stilled pinned through his shoulder blade. The blade was real, but Kabuto was certain that the Kakashi that nearly crushed his larynx was false, His throat had never been in any real danger, he thought. He pulled the kunai out and looked at it.

"Fool me twice…" Kabuto began, and Kakashi grinned from his spot on the ground with Sasuke, whimpering, but hugging his father tightly. The sharingan never failed him. "It was genjutsu, if that what you were wondering." Kakashi rubbed the back of Sasuke's hair soothingly.

"Then how, and when?"

"When I came in contact with you after dodging Juugo." He looked towards said boy who still panted to regain his breath. He had lost focus and his anger was subsiding. "Isn't it obvious. At that instant, the genjutsu began, and even though I was still there, you began seeing is a fake picture of me. I stood right behind though, following your mislead actions. Your mind was too fooled to notice of course."

"And when I thought I was being choked, you used the opportunity to actually attack me. Your hands must have been shaky like they are now for you to have missed my heart." Kabuto smiled.

Kabuto was right. Kakashi agreed, his vision blurred and he became shaky and Sasuke's head lay too close to Kabuto's heart, for Kakashi to rely on his precarious hands. He changed the direction of his blade at the last moment. He would have continued to pull out Kunai if Kabuto hadn't let go of Sasuke, but he expected it to happen. He tried to kill Kabuto after all. As of now, he was wobbly and week and his shuddering intensified now that the adrenaline was dying. His chakra hadn't been in such good condition from the start, and after the sharingan, his body was feeling unsteady.

Now what?' The Jounin thought as Kabuto got himself together. He performed a jutsu and his hand began to glow. Hovering it over the wound caused by the kunai, he began to heal himself. Kakashi cursed at his curative capabilities.

"Don't tell me you forgot, Hatake. I'm perfectly as capable of healing as I am of causing death." Kabuto descended down to the forest floor. "Now what little trick do you have up your sleeves now. I swear your sharingan won't work a third time." He promised.

Just as Kabuto moved closer, the battling shinobi heard a familiar groan, and would seem that Juugo had caught his breath and was regaining his animalistic focus on killing someone, anyone, to curb his appetite for blood and revenge.

'Damn it. Why can't it end.' Kakashi just wanting to protect Sasuke who lay in his arms trembling within his own tired body. Kabuto also looked irritated at the continuous interruptions.

Juugo roared weakly now, his body severely suffering from his own tiring and pain-inflicting jutsu, as well as the raikiri Kakashi managed to land on his shoulder. Regardless, the monster remained determined and would be so until he was defeated it seemed. It simultaneously become a goal for Kakashi and Kabuto, though Kakashi just wanted to stabilize the boy's temper and subdue him, while Kabuto wanted him dead. Either way, the two of them knew that Juugo was an obstable again.

The creature saw them, and bellowed and then began to charge towards them carelessly. His arm raised and was poised for attack. Kabuto prepared to inflict an attack to the monsters chest that would stop its heart, while Kakashi could only think to take the defensive, although his body was becoming stiff and hard to move due to his lack of chakra. The monster continued to close in, and Kakashi primed himself to dodge.

As Juugo became feet away, Kabuto attacked it head on, a mistake, as Juugo dodged the medical ninjutsu, and then swatted Kabuto roughly to the ground a few yards away. Next the creature aimed towards Kakashi, who seemed almost immobilized.

Kakashi breath hitched as he felt the sudden state of his body. He urged his body that seemed to be moving in slow motion. Too little chakra and too little time. Kakashi's body tensed and his body instinctually leaned over Sasuke's in an effort to protect him while he would take the brunt of the attack, hoping that if nothing else, his body could be used as a shield.

"Katon…" The word was muttered calmly sounding like nothing more than a whisper carried in the wind. It reverberated like a cymbal in Kakashi's head.

"Hosenka no justu." And a single dense ball of flame streamed through the air, hissing confidently, colliding cunningly into Juugo's chest. The flame seemed to explode like a missile and the creature was knocked back as smoke cascaded around them. The smoke impaired Kakashi's sight as he turned around and looked upwards. The stunned jounin couldn't see right away but as it cleared, he noticed the eerie dark gray and burgundy silhouette emerging slowly out of the burning dust and flesh.

He hadn't any idea who it was until red glowing pupils shown through the gray smoke. Red glowing eyes stained with odd slanted tomoe.

And the ravens still remained perched in their sentient positions, cawing in anticipation.

End

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Amaterasu333

Aww. So glad to have a chapter out again. Thanks for the patience. Obviously, I'm wrapping this story up soon. Don't know how many chapters left but it's coming to its conclusion. As I was saying, there's so many story ideas in my head right now that I would like to work on after this, but I don't know which one. I guess I could always work on more than one story at a time. I realize that I can only work on a story I'm in a mood for. Sometimes I want to write but I don't necessarily want to work on Sentinel Kakashi. Perhaps it's better for me and everyone else that I do work on more than one story, so that I can get something out. I don't know. As I've been taking these long breaks, I come up with other stories I would like to write but not sure how it would work out in the long run. The stories in my head feel so ambitious at the moment, I don't know if I can pull them off, lol. I'm not going to talk much about these stories but maybe later I'll give a hint of whichever ones I'm working on. I may even ask you guys which one you would like me to start on. We'll see. Anyway. As always, critique of any kind is welcome, and thank you so much for your views and reviews in advance.

Note:

**Intercipere**

**Latin**

**Etymology: Inter (Latin prefix meaning between/among) + -capere (**to take; take hold, seize; grasp**)**

**Literal Meaning: (To come between/ to seize upon separating/to divide and take control/ To cut and seize)**

**Intercept/Interrupt/interpose/Interfere.**


	23. Corvus

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Alright! Another chapter out. It's quite long so hopefully it's a good read for you all. Some things are revealed this chapter. The last several scenes are quite gruesome to me. I have seen far worse, but have never written this sort of material, which is why I feel this way. I'm sure you can all handle it. It's really not that bad, just that it is compared to the rest of this story.

This story should have about 2-3 chapters left. Heck, I could fit the rest of the story in 1 but I don't like very short endings, so I will try to make sure there is at least a minimum of 2 chapters. I'm sure there are enough interesting things to write, though I am not sure how much attention I will give the last battle. I am not the best at battle scenes, and if you guys noticed, It usually takes me a bit longer to release chapters that include scuffles of any kind.

Anyway, enjoy.

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**Chapter 23: **_Corvus_

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For just a few seconds, the ravens calmed, as if holding their breaths just as Kakashi held his. The smoke settled, and Kakashi looked in astonishment. Standing above them was Uchiha Itachi, his face stoic and unemotional, but in his flared sharingan was a hint of hostility and impatience. Frustration? Anger?

Kabuto recovered from Juugo's attack gripping a portion of his chest and equally astounded by the Akatsuki's presence. No, it was more than that. Uchiha Sasuke's brother. But knowing the infamous Uchiha's history, it made the fact the he was here…interesting.

Kakashi faced Itachi, his body slowly turning to stare at the Uchiha who had dropped gracefully from the trees and landed on the scorched earth with perfect equilibrium.

"Itachi." Kakashi muttered, unsure still of what could possibly be said. How about, 'what took you so long…to intervene?' The question lingered on the Jounin's mind knowing that Itachi's must have been aware of all of the exchanging battles in the last 12 hours.

"Foolish." Itachi simply stated in heed of the situation. "You need to be able to protect him." He mentioned calmly, paying close attention to Juugo who was trying to regain his stance. His injury was severe and if not for the heat of Itachi's jutsu searing the wound, he would be bleeding to death. He was still in pain as he focused on the new arriver.

"The origin of the cursed seal." Itachi offhandedly mentioned to Kakashi, believing him curious. "It occurs naturally in his clan's bloodline. It is easily controllable however if you can learn just to restrain them for a few moments…"

Juugo rose painfully and moved towards Itachi slowly, huffing and panting for breath and relief from the pain. The Uchiha seemed unfazed by any fear or worry. He had the power to instantly stabilize the monster. Spinning his mangekyou rapidly, Juugo froze and began to groan in a fit of dizziness. Kakashi was astonished as he watched what followed. The monstrous forms begin to recede and Juugo slowly became more human again. Regaining his original body, he fell to the ground worn and unconscious.

Suigetsu, who had quietly and cautiously witnessed the arrival of the Akatsuki, was astonished. Never had he seen Juugo so easily and effortlessly taken down, as if simply willed to sleep. It was terrifying and he wondered what that meant for them if this Akatsuki noticed him and Karin, who softly moaned now and then.

Kakashi looked in amazement as well. Was it that simple? "I can't believe it." He said aloud.

"Sasuke's sharingan could have handled it just as easily." He looked at the small child in Kakashi's arm. "If he was in his normal state." Itachi's eyes focused as he observed his baby brother longer. "He's still sick."

"Yeah. I need Tsunade-Sama here now."

That chakra. Itachi thought. He surveyed everyone on the field, including the members of team hebi, before lastly locking onto Kabuto with a grating gaze. It's the same' he noted, referring to the aura of the alien chakra entangled with Sasuke's.

"You're the one who altered him." Itachi said to Kabuto. Kabuto looked defiantly at his addresser, and Itachi took it as an affirmative though he'd never asked a question. "You'll change him back." Itachi seemed to order…calmly.

Kabuto smiled strangely. "Sorry. I wouldn't know how. But I've had this conversation many times before. Let's talk about another." Itachi's expression changed ever so slightly, partial annoyance giving him an air of impatients.

"It's strange? You're the last person I expected to see here." Itachi eyed him silently, his stare becoming ever more cold. "Certainly, you're not here to save your…baby brother…your Otouto? Are you suddenly protective?" Kabuto asked with a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. Everyone was silent as they waited for a response but Itachi was wordless.

"Nii…" Itachi looked towards Sasuke. The child had only now noticed the arrival of his brother and he immediately appeared contented. He smiled lightly but his eyes looked fairly fatigued. His cheeks were flushed and pale.

Kakashi had noticed how warm Sasuke was. He still had that fever. Sasuke looked tired but it could have partly been accredited to all the excitement. A child did not belong in a battle zone, much less be the aim of it all.

Itachi observed carefully, forcing more chakra to his mangekyou to increase his perception of the boy's chakra system. It was quite clear that it was Kabuto's foreign chakra that circulated within Sasuke's strained chakra veins, along with Sasuke's own. It was normal to have foreign chakra enter your body after an opponent's attack depending on the type, but for it to remain so long was odd. And for it to circulate in such a way was abnormal, as if Kabuto's chakra was writhing inside, fighting…to synthesis with Sasuke's, or to separate itself, Itachi could not tell.

Perhaps that was the purpose all along. For the chakra to remain inside of Sasuke's body. It wasn't natural, but the attachment of Kabuto's chakra and its longevity within another's body could be achieved if a forbidden technique was used. 'Certainly, this is forbidden.' Itachi pondered aloud. Kakashi could hardly make it out, but he knew it had to do with Sasuke from the way Itachi was staring at him with those cursed eyes.

"What are you thinking, Itachi. Answer me." Kakashi was immediately impatient. Itachi knew something. He found something vital, and Kakashi needed to know. He demanded to know.

"Itachi." He said again after receiving silence.

"I'm sure you've figured whose chakra is within Sasuke." Itachi responded after a sigh.

"Kabuto's of course."

"The jutsu was meant to leave some of the jutsu's user's chakra inside of the target and remain there."

"I didn't know that was possible."

"With a forbidden jutsu, the chakra may remain for the rest of the recipient's remaining life." Kakashi looked simultaneously stunned and disturbed.

"What does that mean?" He asked with some anxiety.

"Nothing that should affect his life. I believe the purpose would be rather to keep the effects from simply…wearing off." 'Wearing off?' Kakashi thought to himself. "The trace of foreign chakra and Sasuke's chakra were forcefully mended." Itachi continued. "By these means, Kabuto's chakra always has influence within Sasuke's body. I'm guessing the jutsu alone would have created a temporal state."

"So that's the secret." Kakashi thought. If Kabuto's chakra is melded with Sasuke's own, then it's traveling within the chakra veins, circulating as if its Sasuke's own chakra. His very chakra system reverberates the chakra and renews the jutsu's effect. "It's no wonder Tsunade-Sama could not change him back or find the means to." Kakashi realized out loud and Itachi agreed.

"Very smart. To think Uchiha Itachi could figure it out so quickly. You ruin the fun." Kabuto interrupted.

"You certainly cannot see things as I see, or else you would have noticed your own failure. It looks as though your jutsu is having some difficulties." Itachi revealed. "The chakra isn't reacting well. It looks as if you hadn't properly tested it before using it."

"What do you mean Itachi?" Kakashi queried. Kabuto grew stiff, intent on hearing what the Uchiha had to say.

"Sasuke's chakra is unwilling to accept it, or perhaps yours is unwilling to accept his. Either way, the mend is loosened. As it is now, one of two things will happen: The foreign chakra is dispelled completely; unable to mend, Sasuke would change back to his original state, or the chakra successfully mends and remains that way; Sasuke would remain a child and would supposedly have to grow up again."

So there was a chance, thought Kakashi, as he focused on the two outcomes, but Itachi wasn't quite finished. He wouldn't have imagined the words to come next.

"I suppose there is a third option:…the adverse effects could ultimately kill Sasuke depending on what happens." Even Itachi seemed to harden to this new scenario. He hadn't considered it before but the prospect was possible. Who could say what such an unnatural coexistence of chakra could do.

Kabuto seemed the least caring as to the possibility, hardly believing such an outcome. Sasuke would be just fine. Sasuke would belong to Orochimaru. "Doesn't matter." He mentioned to the Akatsuki, raising his hands in a summoning seal. Itachi didn't move a muscle, but mentally, he was ready to retaliate any jutsu Orochimaru's apprentice could throw at him.

A cloud of smoke appeared, and a large serpent arose from its chambers, its large body denting the dirt, and its sharp amber scales grinding rocks into dust and sawing through the bark of trees. The beast was an overwhelming size, so large; it would prove a challenge just to keep from getting crushed by a tree it would surely carelessly uproot.

Its hiss echoed through the ground as it snaked its way slowly over the battlefield, wrapping around the terrain and trees. Kabuto leapt on its head, taking full control of it. It hardly needed instruction as his master's ideals seemed obvious enough as it looked upon the leaf ninja.

"Poison them; crush them; devour them. Do as you wish, but don't hurt the child." The snake rustled in compliance. "Make Lord Manda proud." Kabuto reminded with a smirk.

The snake hissed loudly and opened its monstrous mouth, showing venomous fangs. It struck at an incredible speed, instantly aiming for Itachi. Itachi leapt to safety, as did Kakashi. Its gaping mouth closed around dirt and rocks but that didn't seem to bother it as it looked for the Akatsuki. It's crimson and amber skin rattled in excitement as the snake's tongue tasted the air for her opponent.

Kakashi wished to get Sasuke to safety, but the snake's body encircled the entire field, no doubt, working as a barrier to prevent an easy escape. Kakashi looked up at Itachi, who was perched in a high tree. The snake zoned in on him, ready to attack again.

As Kakashi stood trapped by the snake, Kabuto readied one of his scalpels. The snake would keep Itachi's attention, though unknown to the snake, Kabuto believed that Itachi would eventually make easy work of it. Distraction was all Kabuto needed. The animal was not of his concern.

He leapt from the snake's head just before its body zipped through the air and into the thick foliage, trying and trying again to reach Itachi.

Itachi held in a sigh of irritation. Kakashi had his hands full already. Sasuke was…quite a burden as always. The skilled ex-nin leapt lithely into air to dodge the summon, doing a quick twirl and maneuvering himself around the snake strike. In midair, Itachi performed several hand signs releasing hot balls of scolding fire on the serpent's body. The snake's form wretched slightly as the flame made contact with its back, but it was a movement of mere discomfort, her shiny scales proving to be quite durable under the temperature; like plates of metal it glared with heat but quickly cooled down.

Itachi landed cat-like on his feet back to the earth, yet still separated from Kakashi and Kabuto by a portion that had been purposely positioned to keep Itachi in one loop of the snakes body, and Kakashi in another. It was separating them on purpose.

Kakashi thought the same. He looked at Kabuto with annoyance. This man might have been the most irritating person he had ever encountered in battle; for it felt more like a game rather than an actual fight to the death. A game; Sasuke as the prize. What made it all the worse was that Kabuto was so damn persistent, never giving up till he had things his way. Spoiled brat. Something about it made the Jounin smile. Kabuto looked irritated by this.

Kakashi admitted that it wasn't the time to be showing any sort of amusement; as it was insanely affective at making Kabuto more violent and volatile, but he couldn't help it. Perhaps it was the thought of an immature and whiny Kabuto that had crossed his mind, or maybe it was the fact that things were looking to be going his way yet again. He had Itachi on his side, yes…but he had much more than that still. His smirk widened.

"You're not taking Sasuke away from me, or the rest of us."

"We'll see about that." Kabuto cautioned.

"He's staying in the village where he belongs; with Konoha, and with team 7."

Yes. Like Karin had told him. He had an entire village on his side. And he had team seven on his side. He felt them. Their chakra. It was comforting to know that they had finally come. Tsunade's and Yamato's as well. Kabuto sneered, and then his eyes went pallid. He had finally noticed as well.

There was the whirling sound of wind, a thunderously…high pitched war cry, and an orange blur that came rushing over the snake's body. Cerulean eyes flashed with overwhelming protectiveness, teeth showing in wide devilish smile, satisfaction for finally being a part of the battle.

"Rasengan!" The loudest member of team seven screamed along with a clone, the two of them pushing a deadly attack forward. Kabuto was unable to react. Naruto attack came dead on against Kabuto's chest. The sound nin's entire body went violently whirling backwards several feet into a tree, leaving a disgustingly carved hole of burnt flesh in his chest. Even Naruto was partly disgusted by the effects of his jutsu, but was relieved nonetheless to have gotten him out the way of Kakashi.

"Oi. Sorry I'm late. My entrance made up for it though right?" He grinned triumphantly, not bothering to turn to Kakashi. His stance still in position for battle, he awaited Kabuto in case he should get up again. Naruto would not mind the opportunity to beat him back into the ground.

"Naruto. I've been waiting all the time for your entrance in particular." The Jounin mentioned, not being able to keep himself from smiling.

Both Itachi and the snake turned their heads, sensing the unfolding events taking place. Itachi sunk deeper into the foliage, not yet wanting to be spotted by another. Naruto's body tensed, ready to summon a multitude of clones as he beheld the massive creature. "Leave it to me Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto assured.

The Snake's mouth gaped and he hissed, trumpeting a deep, throaty cry of violence as she observed the new opponent. Had she noticed her danger, she would have slithered away, but it was already too late. The trees' roots were suddenly upon her, seizing her body as she had once seized theirs'. Climbing and gripping tightly, they nailed her to the earth. A heavy fist came crashing down on its skull. It sounded like armor snapping as the chakra infused punch burst through its scales and into its cranium. The snake's head crashed into the ground, leaving it dazed with a stunned glaze over her frozen pupils.

Itachi sunk yet deeper into hiding as he watched the konoichi clad in pink land the incredible attack, and then perform a quick backflip, waiting to see if the serpent planned to keep going.

It didn't but instead reverse summoned, leaving in its wake a cloud of vanishing smoke.

Squeezing a raised fist in victory, Naruto cheered excitedly for his teammate's impressive physical prowess, never failing to be amazed by Sakura's amassing talent.

Itachi stood high, far above Sakura's line of vision. He was slightly somber at the fact that the girl had taken his target and made him feel…unaccomplished, but still piqued by her style. Where he had chosen to play with his prey, her execution was rather quick and violent. Not as graceful as him and wasteful of valuable strength, but stimulating to watch no less.

So this was the girl in love with his brother. Interesting, but he soon made it a hind thought as he searched the battlefield. He spotted the wood user, Yamato, explaining the roots. Pretty soon the two of them were by Kakashi's side, never noticing him or his masked chakra. And it would appear the Hokage was there as well.

"Kakashi-San." Tsunade's appearance had followed closely behind Naruto's, not quite having the speed the blond teenager had. She was surprised to see when she arrived, that there was nothing much left for her to do. "It looks like…you hardly needed our help." She addressed a worn looking Kakashi with a smile;

But Kakashi gave them a look that said otherwise. "You're wrong." Kakashi announced with a sigh. "Naruto. Yamato." He suddenly addressed. "Secure Kabuto. Make sure he doesn't get away. Sakura…"

Naruto and Yamato nodded as Kakashi addressed the konoichi next. Sakura looked at Kakashi with determined eyes, ready to do whatever Kakashi asked. She could see there was some urgency in his voice. "You see them over there." Her sensei turned his head, directing her and Tsunade's attention towards three ninja, two of which lay insentient. It was team Hebi. Juugo was motionless, Karin the same, and Suigetsu frozen as he noticed the attention given to him and his inanimate and dying teammates.

"I can't really explain now, but I want you to heal them. The girl first since she's in the most danger." Sakura could see the red-headed girl lying on the ground, a hole in her chest and her blood pooled around her. "Please, can you do that for me Sakura?" Suigetsu looked at them bizarrely. That Jounin was asking that his teammates be healed? He imagined it should have been the opposite. Naturally of course…he should have ordered their deaths. It was only natural.

Sakura nodded. Though suspicious of the unknown people, she would willingly help them if Kakashi asked of it. She went off to do what Kakashi requested. Passing Juugo's battered body which still lay on the ground, she offered a concerned glance but remembered that it was this girl who needed the most help. She approached cautiously, kneeling besides her and Suigetsu, and willing him that he allow her to see his teammate. He submitted.

Tsunade would not put down her suspicions so easily. "Kakashi-San. What is this? Who are they?" She demanded. They certainly were not her ninja. They adorned Sound headbands.

"They are ninja who helped Kabuto capture me." Tsunade quirked a brow. "I know that sounds strange, but I'll have to explain. They aren't all that bad. Please let Sakura heal them." Tsunade was of course skeptical. She was the type who needed the details before she could just let these things go.

Naruto and Yamato, who had been quietly listening had also been accomplishing their task and turned their full attention back to Kabuto who was supposedly 'uncouncious.'

"I think he's dead." Yamato announced as he bound Kabuto's body with his encircling wood. "Your Rasengan killed him." He said dryly.

While Yamato was quite unaffected, and even perhaps had some relief in his voice, Naruto was not so fond of the idea. He knew killing was necessary in his line of work, but he rarely killed people so directly, and it still managed to be awkward for him.

Naruto eyes squinted, peering upon the lifeless body. He bent over, a sixth sense kicking in. "Eh. Are you sure Yamato-Sensie?" He questioned suspiciously. Naruto went closer, almost tempted to poke Kabuto just to be sure, then he realized he had no desire to touch the guy when he was alive, let alone dead. Naruto grimaced slightly at the idea.

"Naruto! Get back!" Wood projected from Yamato's side, hitting Naruto and pushing him out of the way. Just as Naruto was thrown, a snake pushed out of Kabuto's mouth, shedding the body like an old skin. It rocketed straight through Yamato's wood leaving a gust of splinters for Naruto and Yamato to shield their eyes from.

As Yamato recovered, he realized the targets. "Kakashi-Senpai! Tsunade-Sama!" He warned. Yamato performed several hand signs, trying to stop the creature with his wood-style. Proving too fast, it avoided Yamato's efforts or simply smashed through them.

"Stand back." Tsunade ordered as she ran forward, threatening to go head to head with the serpent. Not wanting to face Tsunade's fist, it slipped passed her as she had expected. Taking the opportunity, she grabbed the snake's body, halting it with her strength after some difficulty. She kept it captive in her strong arms, not allowing it to get to Kakashi and Sasuke.

With a hiss, the summoning opened its mouth. Kabuto swiftly slid out from deep within. "Snake Rebirth." He murmured the jutsu as he pushed himself off the ground, a kunai in his hand. Tsunade looked with astonishment at realization of what had happened.

Kabuto came at Kakashi, intent on killing him as he pushed the kunai forward. If he would fail at getting Sasuke, than he could take solace in killing this man.

Kabuto pupils narrowed and suddenly, he froze, his kunai imbedding in flesh. He was looking into spinning pools of blood red; black tomoe floating on their surface. His breathing shallowed as he realized that Itachi had appeared between Kakashi and himself, taking the blow of the kunai in his left hand, though the injury seemed highly ineffectual.

Kabuto tried to pull away, but his body was paralyzed and his eyes transfixed on the sharingan. The damn sharingan.

Itachi's face remained stoic, even as his skin began to rip away. Itachi's flesh dyed black, as it pulled away from bone. There was no blood, only a black rottenness that dripped nightmares of death and decay.

Yet still, Kabuto could not look away as an immense fear took over him and he began to stutter in stifled screams, the cries and laughter of crows echoing in his head as he saw their beaded eyes emerge in Itachi's rotting complexion, their black beaks form from cartilage, and their talons from strips of skin and bone.

The crows born of Itachi pulled away from their originator, befalling upon Kabuto with violence. The lurid birds bellowed their onset in an eerie howl as they flew into his face. Kabuto attempted to swat them away as they pecked as his eyes with their piercing beaks and pierced his skin with their razor-sharp talons. But they engulfed him. They consumed him. There was nothing but a sea of blackness, his blood seeping from his eye…and the two spinning pools of blood red; black tomoe floating on their surface.

Kakashi looked on in confusion as Kabuto swatted and guarded his face, choked screams coming from his mouth. He blinked in understanding. Tsunade looked on cautiously, attention shambling back and forth between Kabuto and Itachi Uchiha, the famed akatsuki member. Everyone observed the scene with a mixture of awe and suspense.

Finally Kabuto fell to the ground, screaming and paralyzed. He looked around alarmed to find no crows, but Itachi before him again. "Genjutsu?" He thought with a stumbling mind. His breath was heavy, and fear still gripped his heart as Itachi pulled his enemy's kunai from his hand and began to approach Kabuto.

"G-Get away from m-me!" Kabuto screamed ungracefully, his mind still partly affected by the genjutsu. He couldn't control his panic. Snakes emerged from his sleeves and rose around him as if to protect him from the menacing Uchiha. Itachi cared little.

"Wait!" Tsunade called.

"What use is there for him? He has nothing to offer." Itachi ignored the Hokage. Kakashi silently agreed. There was nothing helpful that could be obtained from Kabuto as far as helping change Sasuke back to normal or defeating Orochimaru. They had left him alive once, and it had ended in disaster. He was too dangerous to be left alive another time or given any chances.

Kabuto panted in panic. Itachi approached still with merciless intentions, and the snakes stilled, whispering their orders to one another.

The Uchiha prepared to strike when the snakes sunk back, hissed aggressively, and wrapped around Kabuto, pulling his body to the ground. Itachi froze in quiet scrutiny as he realized this was no protective maneuver.

The snakes coiled around Kabuto, one squeezing his neck tightly. As Kabuto realized that he couldn't breathe, he began to struggle against them, grabbing the one around his neck to try and will it off. His lungs spasmed as he suffocated. The snakes were merciless, never giving Kabuto a chance.

Itachi looked on in disgusted interest as Kabuto turned pale, as his eyes bulged out from the pressure, and as a bone-chilling crack could be heard from his snapped neck. Kabuto stopped struggling, and it was clear that he was dead.

The ravens in the trees looked at one another in calculation. The wait was over. The victor was decided, and there were the spoils of war. They descended upon Kabuto's body ignoring the snakes and picking at the bruised skin around the neck and chest. They cawed ceremoniously. Their cries seemed to mock Kabuto, laughing at his failure.

The snakes uncoiled themselves and gave a last parting hiss to Itachi and the troublesome birds before they slithered away. Everyone's eyes followed their trail until they stopped at someone's feet. There was a dark chuckle. The snakes scaled their new master and rested on his shoulders. "Kabuto, my boy. You disappointed me one too many times."

There stood the worst snake of all. "Orochimaru." Kakashi breath, a mixture of disgust and awe dripping from his voice. There again, was the ruthlessness he had seen in Kabuto. Now he was on the other end. Another dark laugh came from the man who hardly seemed human any longer, his features twisted with a sadistic smile.

"Hatake Kakashi. You have something precious that belongs to me."

End.

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~Amaterasu333

Here comes Orochimaru, the big snake. Evil guy, he is. As strange as it may sound, I enjoyed writing the last few scenes of this chapter. It was a bit gruesome, but it was interesting exploring that area of writing fiction. I liked toying with Itachi's Genjutsu, and I enjoyed giving the snakes a sense of 'priority.' Orochimaru will always be the true snake tamer and they are eager to follow his orders and please him. This chapter was long and hard to get right, and still I wonder if it is 'right.' Forgive me. I am an over-achiever (in a bad way) and I think it causes more harm than good. It's annoying for me and I'm sure it is for you guys. As always I appreciate the love and support.

Make bets. Will Sasuke remain in this state, will he be changed back, or…will he die? I can and I will kill characters you know. I just killed Kabuto didn't I? If he was to die, how would it affect Kakashi, team 7,…Itachi? Who would it affect the most? What would these characters do if they lost something so precious to them? These are questions that I've considered…

I originally had this planned, but occasionally I consider going in 'another' direction. I think I've figured out what I will do, but my impulses have drastically changed chapters in the past. I will talk about some of the biggest story shifts these chapters have had another time. It'll be in my last note.

Note:

**Corvus:**

**Latin**: Corvus simply means Raven. The chapter was named for Itachi.


	24. Anguis

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

*Yawn* I've been in hibernation long enough *yawn* I'm so sorry. Please accept the combination of 2 chapters. I'm counting about 3-5 more chapters. Depends. I want to finish this story shortly, and I'm in the process of writing the remaining chapters so stay tuned. There's more detail at the bottom

Thanks for all your patience with me, but It's time I've finally given you all the ending you deserve.

*Yaaawwwwn* Hibernation over.

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**Chapter 24:**_Anguis_

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Orochimaru stood there, malignant smile across his face as he beheld Sasuke Uchiha. His smile twisted into an amused smirk. "So this is the product of my little project." His attention turned towards Kakashi and the others. "I see you've taken good care of him." He teased. Kakashi scowled. A growl escaped Naruto throat. Sakura held a silent, but unwavering fire in her eyes. Yamato was quietly anxious of the snake, knowing his power better than Naruto and Sakura could.

And there was Itachi who was in the lead focused interestedly on Orochimaru. The pale creature had appeared not much different from the last time they'd met. Itachi had won that encounter. Yet Orochimaru would not give up his prize so easily, even in the face of Itachi.

"So you've finally decided to slide out of your little hole." Interjected Tsunade, a sneer implanted deep in her features. How Orochimaru repelled her. Her disgust in him had only grown over the years. She could not believe that this creature was once her teammate. "Quite desperate aren't you to come up with this scheme? Victimizing babies is as cowardly as you could get. And sick as well."

"My, my Tsunade. That temper of yours is as high as ever." Orochimaru noticed the hidden anger. It amused him to see the woman so riled. Tsunade focused on lowering her irritation. She hated giving Orochimaru the amusement. "I assure you, if I had wanted to take the Uchiha, I could have, at any state. This little transformation is quite necessary."

Kakashi knew the story. He had heard it all from Kabuto before. "You want to fill him with hatred and anger. Have him grow up never knowing love. That hate would make him easy to manipulate and control and give that curse all the more control of his body. Well I won't let you do that to him. He's not some vessel you can fill up and use however you want."

"Everyone is a vessel to be filled don't you think? You want to fill him with love, so that he will benefit the structure of your team. Konoha wants to fill him with the will of fire so that he will grow to be a willing tool of Konoha's protection. Everyone is selfish. They use each other; they manipulate, and and give it a positive spin to make it seem noble. Having such natural power," Orochimaru continued with a crinkle in his eye, "makes him the ultimate vessel and a powerful tool."

Kakashi was unsettled by the accusation. To suggest that his actions of protecting Sasuke were superficial or for the benefit of the 'team,' was outrageous. To suggest that he and Orochimaru was anything alike made him furious. "How dare you say that I'm protecting Sasuke for my own purposes. I want to fill him with the ability to be happy again and to allow people to be trusted and loved. You only want to corrupt him as a sacrifice for your self-preservation!"

"Konoha is self-preserving. It swallows sacrifices without a second thought. Even hundreds at a time. Isn't that right Itachi?" Orochimaru smiled as the eldest Uchiha showed the slightest hint of discomfort. Sacrifice. Quite the word. It made Itachi's throat squeeze and his mouth went dry as memories flooded him. The party of ninja looked to Itachi, not a single one failing to notice the pain showing in heavy eyes.

"Itachi. What does he mean?" Even Tsunade looked curiously. Itachi said nothing.

"The Uchiha had felt dissatisfied with Konoha for years, restless by Konoha's insistence on keeping them segregated from the rest of Konoha and rarely considering them for higher ranking political positions they were more than capable of. They threatened a coup d'etat. Itachi killed the Uchiha clan on Konoha's orders to maintain peace." Orochimaru filled in with no hesitation. "The Uchiha was just another sacrifice as was Itachi who became the tool of their destruction. The third Hokage did little to stop it or mediate a peaceful solution."

Everyone's eyes went wide, save for Itachi who showed no signs of confirming or denying this , Tsunade, and Yamato stood confounded by Orochimaru's words.

Sakura and Naruto on the other hand refused to recognize this. "Shut up!" Naruto growled loudly. "How dare you say such a thing about the old man! He would never do that."

"Konoha would never allow such a thing to happen!" Sakura agreed.

"Konoha raises you to be naïve so that you can follow its will like blind sheep. Itachi does not deny this." Naruto gulped at the fact that Itachi indeed said nothing to this. "Tell me Kakashi. Would you fight so hard to protect Sasuke if he was not a member of your own team? There's been plenty of other leaf shinobi who have blindly come to me. Why now do you fight so hard for Sasuke? Tsunade and Sarutobi have also had the chance to stop others from coming to me, but have showed far less effort to stop them compared to her efforts to stop Sasuke. It is because Tsunade fears the power of an Uchiha not on her side, just as Konoha feared their power 8 years ago."

Kakashi lowered his head in frustration, unable to answer such a question. It was true that Kakashi had never played a part in stopping anyone from going to Orochimaru before now, but it was different with Sasuke. Of course it was. He loved Sasuke, and Sasuke was close to him. Who wouldn't he try to protect his loved ones? But it was not for the sake of maintaining a powerful ally and having him on his side. He admitted that he could not speak for Konoha and the third or even Tsunade-Sama, but his need to protect Sasuke was not of selfish origin. It was because he loved him. Rather than answer Orochimaru's question, he requested an answer. "Itachi. Is what Orochimaru said…is it true?"

Itachi closed his eyes, unhitching a hollowed breath from his throat. It was the first time Kakashi had ever seen the Uchiha hesitate in this way. He was full of so much discomfort and so many strange emotions. They translated oddly on Itachi, but Kakashi could still see them none the less. "I did what I thought was best." He admitted looking at the Jounin.

Tsunade's astonishment did not disappear. It was almost too outrageous to believe. How could she have not known of this? Its very secrecy even from her meant that it was wrong and corrupt, assuming that Orochimaru and Itachi were telling the truth. It was out of her control, yet as the current leader of Konoha, it meant that she was left with the consequences and heavy burden to carry.

"If the Uchiha were ordered to be killed, then why was Sasuke left alive?" Was Tsunade's only question. She needed every hole filled. Every knot explained, or she could not fully allow herself to accept that her sensei could let such a thing happen.

"I begged to have Sasuke's life spared. As my innocent younger brother, I could not take his life. In exchange for Sasuke's life, I promised to keep the truth of the massacre from everyone. I joined Akatsuki as a means to protect Konoha by gathering information on the organization, leaving Sasuke in Konoha's protection. That was yet another mistake on my part. You did not protect Sasuke from Orochimaru. He grew up alone and was hurt by my action. Innocent people died by my hands. I should have found another way. I shouldn't have trusted Konoha with Sasuke." Itachi admitted.

Naruto and Sakura were silent, trying to make sense of it all. Even the adults had a hard time excepting this, but it was hard to deny by Itachi's very admission and the fact that he was protecting Sasuke here and now.

"I blindly believed that Sasuke would be protected by the very people who ordered me to kill his family. I was naïve as well, believing that destroying my own family would without a doubt stop the hate and save us from another war. But war and hate doesn't end with the death of hundreds of people, many who had no intention of an uprising. I made a mistake, and rightfully, I accept that Sasuke will always hate me no matter what he knows about that day. I was the foolish brother and I'm hunted to this day by the decision I made."

Kakashi hesitated at Itachi's confession. The look in Itachi's eyes; it was hardly visible, but Kakashi was skilled at reading people. He could see the hurt and guilt cloud them subtly. It was something that Itachi carried with him since the massacre and it would always be there weighin him down, but maybe now so of the weight had lifted.

Kakashi turned to Orochimaru, deliberating what he would speak next. "It is my job to protect my students because I am their sensei. It is my personal responsibility and obligation to protect them because I care about them. Sasuke is not just my student, he's someone who is important to me. He's like a son to me, more now than ever. I can partly thank you for that Orochimaru, but it would not change one bit if this had never happened. It is not team seven that I care about. It's the members of team seven and I'll give my life to protect them. It has nothing to do with their power, or their capabilities. It has to do with our bonds, not as a team, but as a family. Sasuke is like family to me. I'm not sure if that is a concept you can comprehend Orochimaru but Sasuke is family and I would do anything to protect him. He's not my vessel. He's my son. Nothing you say will change that. If there is ever a day when there is no Konoha to protect, I will still protect him, for no one's sake but his own. I intend on doing what Konoha failed to do if Itachi would give me the chance. I will protect him as long as I can."

Orochimaru gave a look of disgust, feeling even that speech was driven by Konoha's will. He had no interest in this conversation anymore. Now was the time to strike. He looked to the scattered members of his subordinates.

"Suigetsu." He called, causing said boy to jump in horror. He had quietly hoped that Orochimaru would pay little attention to the remains of team hebi. "Your team quite disappointed me. Karin and Juugo are useless to me, but I'll give you a last chance. Besides, I need someone take Kabuto Yakushi's place."

Suigetsu's chest became tight as anxiety absorbed him. 'and yet look what happened to him.' Suigetsu thought, looking at Kabuto's corpse, lying pathetically in the dirt and grass. He felt Karin's body press against his leg. She was coming to. Sakura had healed her as well as she could in the little time she had, but that seemed to be enough to save her life at the very least. Juugo was still unconscious, but he was taking steady even breaths again. Karin and Juugo's survival would not matter in the end. Suigetsu knew this. Orochimaru would kill them for their failure and betrayal.

"Suigetsu. I won't wait any longer." Orochimaru hissed angrily, sensing the boy's hesitation. 'I've got another chance. If I don't do what he says, he'll kill me too.' Suigetsu stood slowly and walked over to Orochimaru apprehensively and somewhat guiltily. He hadn't stuck with team hebi at all. He shouldn't have felt guilty. What was the point? Whether two died or all three, there was no point but survival. He was doing what he had to do to survive. Suigetsu kept his head down, not bothering to look at Kakashi or the pink-haired girl who had saved Karin.

Orochimaru smirked now, contemplating how he should take on his opponents. His biggest issue would surely be Itachi and he would have to be the one he focused his attention on.

"Tsunade-Sama. I know you want to be in this battle, but I'll do what I can against Orochimaru. We also have Yamato and the rest of my team here. With Itachi we should be able to handle this. Sasuke needs you the most." he handed Sasuke to the Hokage. "You're the only one who can help him." He pleaded.

As much as Tsunade felt the need to handle Orochimaru, she knew Kakashi was right. He had been telling her about what Kabuto's chakra was doing to Sasuke before they had been interrupted by Kabuto himself…and then Orochimaru. They had wasted enough time. If Sasuke were to die from Kabuto's Chakra then she might be the only one who could save him. "I'll do what I can. But I'm trusting you Yamato, team 7 to back me up." She paused. "You too Uchiha Itachi."

"Orochimaru won't get close to you or Sasuke." Itachi assured to everyone's surprise. There might have even been a hint of determination in his voice.

"Suigetsu. Deal with Kakashi. His chakra is low, and he's weakest out of them. You have the best chance of surviving if you go after him."

"He's got lightning style. That's not a good match for me." Suigetsu excused.

"Then don't go in your liquid form." With that the conversation was over, and Orochimaru did several quick hand-signs, summoning a few large snakes to fight alongside him. Suigetsu scurried out of the way quickly, not want to be crushed.

The leaf ninja, including Itachi immediately jumped into action. Yamato was the first to take up a line of defense. A wooden barrier went up, forming a circular protection around Tsunade and Sasuke. It wouldn't insure her safety but it would hopefully help. Sakura rushed to Kakashi's side, placing a glowing hand on his back. "I'm healing you as best as I can, but my technique isn't strong enough to transfer chakra." She said remorsefully.

"That's alright. Thank you Sakura." Kakashi replied, relief rushing his body as his injuries were healed and muscles rejuvenated.

Naruto went into the offensive, aiming at Orochimaru. Itachi did the same, first to act on it by activating his Mangekyo.

"Never would have thought I'd be fighting with you." Naruto jeered with a dubious smile. "…and to protect Sasuke at that." Naruto recalled a time when killing his brother was at the forefront of Sasuke's ambitions.

"Who says you will. You need to handle the snakes. I'll handle Orochimaru alone."

Naruto frowned. "Uchiha's are always trying to do things alone." Itachi didn't respond to the kyuubi vessel who looked at him uncertainly. After several moments of silence, the blond sighed, accepting that this man and his best friend were most certainly related and both uniquely stubborn. "Fine. But If I see you in trouble, I'm jumping in. I just wanna save Sasuke." Naruto submitted.

Itachi nodded. "Ready yourself. They're coming." Several large snakes charged towards the two. But Itachi and Naruto went forward. Naruto formed a clone right away, ripping out a variation of his signature jutsu.

"Rasengshuriken!" His attack launched forward out his hand, crashing into the skull of one of the creatures. The victim of Naruto's power went winding backwards, its own body coiling with the tangles of powerful wind and chakra. The snake was launched into another, before the attack exploded in a rush of razor wind shards, slicing and marking the bodies of several snakes all at once.

Itachi noted the power of the kyuubi boy, even without resorting to the tailed-beast. He was rarely impressed but now wasn't the time to sit around in surprise. He'd use the opportunity Naruto had given him and taken it to bypass the summons and go straight for Orochimaru who already stood awaiting the Uchiha.

Itachi landed in front Orochimaru, his sharingan fully activated and ready to take on his old enemy. This time, he would kill him for good. He wouldn't allow Sasuke to be the victim of Orochimaru's plans. Murderous thoughts swirled in the Uchiha's head, but he maintained a calm appearance, as always. Though, so did Orochimaru. It would be a battle of pure confidence.

* * *

There was a heavy weight in Suigetsu's chest as he approached Kakashi. He didn't know why, but he was feeling somewhat uneasy. He convinced himself that he was ready to kill the Jounin. It was always about survival, and it was no different now, even if Kakashi was somewhat different from others he had faced before.

"So…ready for round two?" Kakashi asked the strange boy, remembering his water technique well. "I know your style now." He guaranteed.

Suigetsu put on his defiant condescending look. "And I know yours. Your lightning attack won't get me this time." Suigetsu assured.

"I had hoped I wouldn't have to fight you again."

"You leaf village men are too soft. You should want to fight to save your skin, and that kid."

"I'll do anything to save Sasuke. But I'd do even more if it meant an alternative to a battle with you. I know you don't want to do this."

"I'll do what takes to survive this...shit." Suigetsu put tersely.

* * *

Chakra flared violently, the ground rumbled, and weapons clashed. Even in unconsciousness, Karin seemed hyper-aware to the unfolding events around her. She slowly came to herself, shaken and in pain. Blurred vision cleared gradually but eventually, the reality of her situation hit her as she recalled what Kabuto had done to her. She grabbed her chest as the heat and sharpness of her injury became apparent, but it was a lot less painful then she'd imagined.

"Damn Bastard." She mumbled quietly. When she felt through the hole in her clothes, she was surprised to feel that the wound had somehow been miraculously closed. It still hurt like hell, but it was in no way life-threatening. It did not make her anger recede however as she imagined Kabuto again, with that stupid grin. "Damn that bastard!" She fussed just a bit louder, turning on her stomach. She looked around the field for Kabuto. "I'll kill him myself." She threatened, and then her jaw was left slack.

Just a couple yards from her was Kabuto's body. Her senses became sharp, and she could sense no chakra coming from him. He was already dead. That's when she finally registered another's chakra.

His chakra.

She trembled subconsciously, unable to control herself as she looked to her far right. Orochimaru indeed, was on the battlefield, and it would seem he was in a battle, though Karin had no idea who it was against. That's when she realized that the leaf reinforcements had arrived during her unconsciousness.

She searched for her teammates, with some discretion in her movements, wanting to keep the fact that she was living secret as long as possible. Frankly, she wanted no more recognition from Orochimaru than she wanted from the leaf ninja, especially the one brave enough to go up against Orochimaru.

Juugo lay some distance away, and from his torn clothes, Karin already knew that he had transformed. His chakra seemed to be stirring, he too waking from some obvious injuries and chakra exhaustion. Thankfully, he seemed fine, but she wondered if the big lug was smart enough to stay still.

She heard suigetsu's voice. When she looked to him, he was poised with his heavy blade wielded in his hands. He was battling Kakashi yet again. "Stupid Ass." She whispered under her breath. She didn't neglect a chance to insult him, even when she knew it was probably Orochimaru's orders to attack Kakashi. Suigetsu wouldn't stand much of a chance alone and in this environment. And with Kakashi's raiton, he had the low-ground already. Suigetsu was in a tight situation. She considered to herself if she would step in if the fight were to injure Suigetsu, as a healer at the very least.

Karin pushed him to the back of her mind for then, and closed her eyes, hoping that the battle would endure without her; hoping that everyone would think she was dead.

End

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Amaterasu333

Well I know it's been awhile. Please don't hurt me. *hides in corner* I know I've disappointed a lot of people with my horrible irregular updates. Good news, I feel like I finally have the ability to finish this story once and for all. The next chapter is already done, and I'm working on the chapter after that one. Like I said, this counted as pretty much two chapters.

I'm aiming for…let's say…by October 2nd, I would like to have this story complete. You guys deserved to be satisfied by at least seeing the end and this story deserves to be finished** Darnit!** Now I won't make any promises, but please root for me to have this finished by the goal date.

I'm working on a couple other stories (My writers spirit has come back!) but I'm unsure on both. Well. I'll work things out. Anyway, thank you all again. I expect my reviews to be low and I would understand why, but any feedback, even negative is fine. Haha. I would love to see reviews and know that people are still following this story.

**Note:**

**_Anguis_**: Continuing with the animal Latin names from last chapter, Anguis means Snake.


	25. Vicissitudo

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Like I said, I'm really pushing to update within more reasonable times so that readers can finally see the end of this story. I've realized as I began to write through the last couple chapters of this story that I'm going to be sad to see it end. It's my first long term story, and it's been fun to write and fun to watch people's reactions to different moments. Please enjoy chapter 25 of Sentinel Kakashi.

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**Chapter 25:** _Vicissitudo_

* * *

Suigetsu swung at Kakashi who sidestepped in time. Every swing of the large sword made the boy more frustrated, and with the amounting frustration, the swings became harder and heavier. The largest component of Zabuza's sword was its weight, which made its strike extremely damaging, but with its weight, it lost its flexibility and control.

Kakashi used this fact to his advantage. This would be his fourth battle against a user with this sword, and so he knew well how it both empowered the wielder while greatly limiting him.

Suigetsu swung the massive blade again and Kakashi escaped once more, rolling out of the way. The sword wedged itself into the moist dirt, locking itself into the ground while Kakashi took the opportunity. Suigetsu had no choice but to abandon his weapon, barely dodging the raikiri and feeling the static of lightning crackle against his skin as it rushed past his face.

Suigetsu slapped his cheek in a bit of terror just to insure it was still intact. "I'm really not lookin' to get my face ripped of here." He grinned sheepishly while rubbing his cheek still.

"Water style: Liquid Bullet." Suigetsu mouth filled with liquid as he stored his chakra, willing the contents of his own body to supply his attack. Spheres of water and chakra blasted from his mouth, barreling toward Kakashi with enough force to dislocate a joint or fracture some ribs if hit directly.

Kakashi back-flipped out the way, dodging them all, though some came uncomfortably close. He took a deep breath as he landed on his feet and readied himself to launch again. Suigetsu's eyes wondered for a moment, sneaking a glance at Juugo who grunted and started to move slowly. He was waking up. Suigetsu considered dubiously if Karin had changed positions.

"S-Sui-getsu?" Juugo called tiredly, looking up at him in confusion. Somewhere in the background, Karin twitched.

"Suiget-su. You're fighting…Kakashi-San again?"

"Juugo. Get out of here…and take Karin with you." Suigetsu warned quietly, turning back to Kakashi, whom waited out the dialogue for some curious reason. Juugo looked confused still. "Orochimaru has pretty much had it with you two…and who could blame him." Suigetsu's tone was characteristically humorous, even at a time like this.

"Suigetsu…Karin is-!" Juugo turned quickly to see Karin lying face first against the ground."

"I had my student heal her. She's fine now…and awake." Kakashi decided to mention.

Karin's body visibly jerked as she was hit with surprise at his awareness. She raised her face from the moist gravel, her hands squeezing around stones in annoyance, and realized that she had Kakashi to thank for the preservation of her life.

Juugo lifted himself slowly off the ground, looking around the battlefield. "Kabuto… Did I."

"No. Orochimaru."

Then juugo looked up in a shudder, noticing Orochimaru chakra. He could see the fierce man in his beastly form as he battled against another. Large snakes littered the field. Other shinobi stood facing them bravely. They didn't seem afraid of Orochimaru's power one bit. "Konoha reinforcements." Juugo noted internally.

"Kabuto tried to kill us." Juugo mentioned. "He almost killed Karin. And now Orochimaru wants us dead too." He breathed. He could hardly say he was surprised by the disloyalty of those two men. Juugo wasn't stupid. He'd known that he was easily disposable in Orochimaru's eyes. He had already had the curse seal. There was no need for Juugo. But something still didn't sit right with him…

"-I don't think Kakashi is the one we ought to be fighting…"

Things went quiet between the four of them. Suigetsu and Karin took a moment to absorb this startling statement.

"What do you think will happen to us when Konoha gets their hands on us? Let us off with a warning?!" Suigetsu immediately argued. Karin stayed surprisingly silent.

"I don't know. I don't know what will happen, but…"

"I guess…I do owe him." Karin said flustered. Adjusting her glasses and standing she attempted to explain further when Kakashi looked at her, but she only rattled a bit before agreeing with Juugo. She cleared her throat. "Besides. Konoha probably has much nicer prison cells."

"Assuming they decide to let us live." Suigetsu contested, although with a sort of odd smirk.

"Who cares? It will be more humane than anything Orochimaru decides to do with us."

Suigetsu face grew one of his trademark toothy grins, his sharp teeth showing themselves the way they tended to after such dark humor. "You've got a point." He admitted with a small dark laugh, but a part of him contemplated.

Kakashi could not speak for them. He waited to see what they would decide. Meanwhile he took a moment to look around the battlefield and he could see his students fighting hard. He worried for them, but they held themselves well against the snakes, though they were becoming scattered and harder to keep track of.

Yamato was also fighting, guarding heavily the ligneous wall that kept Tsunade hidden as she studied Sasuke. Kakashi wondered what was happening behind the wooden barrier; He could only feel Tsunade's chakra spike along with Sasuke's but could not see either of them.

Kakashi looked at Itachi as he battled Orochimaru who had shifted forms. Kakashi could hardly recognize Orochimaru, but the chakra was as clear as day; there was so much malice and venom that filled it.

When a dark shadow rose over Kakashi, he did not immediately notice, his overburdened senses worrying of everyone besides himself. But when he heard the slow sizzle of a lisping tongue, his instincts flared. Without seeing it, he rolled forward, barely missing a summoned snake as fangs crashed into the dirt where Kakashi was standing. The surprise attack on the Jounin also staggered the three sound ninja; completely and suddenly thrown out of their banter, they stiffened quickly only to realize that they were not the target.

The creature had encircled him quickly. "Does it ever end?" Kakashi groused, activating a raikiri. It crackled with a deafening sound and the snake hissed. Kakashi could feel the ground rumble. The snake slid its tail across the earth; simultaneously baring it's fangs as if ready to strike from both ends. Smart move, Kakashi thought. These snakes weren't all so dumb.

The tail whipped towards Kakashi, and the man thought of using the Sharingan even knowing the consequences. The sound of a rushing blade took Kakashi immediately out of his thoughts. A slender lump of flesh crashed to the ground next to him, dismembered and bleeding.

The snake cried in pain and took a look at the missing quarter of its body. Suigetsu stood there, his sword engraved into the earth at the point at which he had sliced the creature. It struggled away pitifully before dismissing itself.

Kakashi looked at Suigetsu with surprise.

"Fine. Let's call a truce." The boy declared with a sharkish grin.

"Was that for helping the Karin."

"Karin? Hell no. She has to repay her own favors. That was so that now you owe me."

Kakashi smiled at a somewhat familiar mischievous grin. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The mangeyou sharingan of the infamous Uchiha stared into the snake-like eyes of an infamous sannin as if they were already battling silently. The stare off could only last for moments, as the tension was far too high between the two. It was not a tension caused by fear, but was antagonistic. For Orochimaru, he was about to have his second battle with the Uchiha whom had escaped his grip, and for Itachi. Well, this was the man whom had been victimizing his baby brother with attacks and threats for far too long.

Sasuke was defenseless now, and more now than ever, the elder Uchiha was feeling quite protective again.

Itachi didn't have much more time to spare. They were both patient, but Orochimaru had less to loose from waiting. Itachi was ready to end this threat once and for all. He performed a series of hand signs, and flames burrowed through the air, crashing through trees and rocks and finally coming to land in hot fiery explosions where Orochimaru had zipped out of the way.

Itachi followed with his Sharingan, quickly recognizing the monstrosity of years of experimentation on his own body. Orochimaru body was distorted, and elongated; he was more snakelike than ever.

The creature zipped through the air between branches and around trunks, the friction of his (scales) sawing through the bark and gravel with sparks of abrasion. Its mouth opened wide as it approached the Uchiha.

Out slithered out a form of Orochimaru Itachi had never witnessed. This wasn't simply a rebirth; it was a transformation, perhaps even Orochimaru's true form after so many years of hazardous experimenting.

A huge white snake crashed to the ground as Itachi jumped out of the way and landed a few yards distance out of the snake's immediate reach, but he could already tell Orochimaru in this form would be faster than the original.

"No wonder you need a new body." Itachi commented with little emotion as he looked at this unholy creation.

"Itachi!" The white snake Orochimaru hissed as he charged at his opponent with an open mouth full of fangs.

Itachi stood his ground, waiting for his moment to strike.

End

* * *

~Amaterasu333

Ah! Another Chapter finished. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and leave your thoughts with me. I would love to hear from you guys. How do you feel about this chapter? How do you feel about this story ending?

Note:

**Vicissitudo**

**Latin**

**Etymology: ** from _vissum_("on the other hand, in turn"), from _vicis_("change, Change in occurrence.)

**Literal Meaning: (Change/ Alteration)**

**Derived words: **_Vicissitude_**:** A change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.


	26. Strangulatum

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Sorry. Was too busy to upload this on Saturday, but I made the weekend regardless. Phew. Hope you enjoy. :3 Also, thanks to all those who reviewed my previous chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 26: **_S__trangulātum_

* * *

"Stop that." The amber-eyed Hokage demanded. Her brows were furrowed, and her forehead creased in concentration. Sweat was trailing down her temple as she focused all her chakra in a few key points at the tip of her fingers. She searched Sasuke's body, analyzing him for clues. She felt it now, what she had not been able to feel when Sasuke had first changed. She could feel the foreign chakra now; surely it belonged to Kabuto.

Sasuke fussed; unsurprising to the woman at this point. Except now, it mattered that he stood gravely still, or else she could damage him. It was an extremely delicate situation. She realized this more and more as she looked for a safe way to attack Kabuto's chakra. She thought that maybe, if she could jam it, or override It with her own, that Kabuto's influencing chakra would cease to maintain Sasuke's condition.

Sasuke kicked at her arms and tried to bite a finger that lingered dangerously close to the little monstrous Uchiha's few teeth. "Sasuke, this is important. I said stop." Sasuke would probably have not listened if he was 16 let alone in this state.

She scowled as he started screaming and kicking harder. If only there was a safe way to render toddlers unconscious, but every method she could perform was something she reserved for a much older Sasuke.

"Tsunade-Sama?" Yamato called to her panting. "How much longer?" He asked urgently, sensing that the snakes were turning on him more and more. They distinguished Sasuke's presence and knew that he was protecting him.

Tsunade growled. "I need much more."

"Hai…" Yamato knew he would have to be on his best. It wasn't a matter of beating the snakes. They were easy enough to take down, but in numbers, it would only be a matter of time before one got the best of him. He couldn't possibly keep up with all of them alone. He would need the sharingan or byakugan for such a feat. He placed his hands together in a wood seal, and a small forest of trees bloomed around them, entangling some of the medium sized snakes and crushing them tight enough to make them disperse in clouds of smoke. More of them emerged, larger and more aggressive, to break through the wood.

Yamato glimpsed a flash of orange and brown rush past him. It dashed into the air and came down on one of the snakes, forcing its jaw into the dirt with amazing power and strength. Yamato didn't have time to observe as another snake came with its mouth ride open, and Yamato formed seals. A tree crashed through the ground from the right; its trunk catching the snake's gaping mouth and wrapping around its body, effectively trapping the snake as it could not advance or back away.

Yamato thought that he must have gotten better at reading these creature's facial expressions because he could identify the cold glare the snake gave him with its mouth gripping nothing but wood and splintery bark, trapped and bound, and it's body imprisoned almost in midair by the twisted tree. Finally it had no choice but to dismiss itself, not wanting to wait around for someone to finish him off in his vulnerable state.

Yamato noticed the other snake disperse as well and the figure whom had stepped in for him.

"I can help you." Juugo alleged to the wood-user. He had never seen such an element used before but had heard of this wood style somewhere deep in the depth of Orochimaru's lair. "Let me help." He requested. Yamato was suspicious but he supposed he'd needed the help. He nodded but kept his eyes close on him until Kakashi arrived.

"Yamato-San." Kakashi landed nearby, along with the red-haired girl Sakura had healed.

"Kakashi-senpai!?" Yamato was surprised but pleased to see Kakashi nonetheless. He glanced back at Juugo for a moment and then back at Kakashi. "Are you sure-"

"We've got a common enemy right now. I think we need their help." Kakashi looked in Naruto and Sakura's direction, where even they didn't mind receiving some help from Suigetsu, though Zabuza's sword brought them some bad memories. They stood clear as Suigetsu swung it a bit wildly.

Yamato nodded again, agreeing that the more on their side, the better. More snakes began to creep up to them, and they prepared to fight. Karin backed away in disgust, hiding partly behind Kakashi. She had a known hatred for snakes. "Kakashi. We've got you covered." Yamato assured. "I think Tsunade-Sama and Sasuke need you more." The man motioned behind him.

"You Sure?"

"Yeah. The longer she's doing that, the harder this will be. Sasuke will only cooperate with you."

Kakashi nodded. "Thank you Yamato-San. Please be careful. Thank you…Juugo."

After a moment, Juugo nodded, though he couldn't help but feel strange after hearing this. It wasn't often he been on the good side of things. He was seen as a monster. For once, he'd felt a bit more…human. He thought that maybe, it was nice to finally fight for the right side.

"You can come with me." Kakashi told Karin, sensing her apprehension. "I'm sure you could help Tsunade somehow." Karin said nothing but followed the man behind the wood barrier where Tsunade was crouched trying to still a whining baby.

"Tsunade-Sama."

Tsunade looked up to Kakashi, relieved to see him. She was not so enthused about the sound girl beside him. Her eyes became sharp and menacing. "She may be able to help." Kakashi defended, kneeling down to the ground. He grabbed Sasuke. It was almost instinctual at this point. The boy instantly calmed down and relaxed in Kakashi's arms.

"I can sense his chakra. And Kabuto's." Karin mentioned with a scowl. She was a sensor-nin. That how Kakashi had been tracked and located, Tsunade thought. She wanted to protest Karin's proximaty to Sasuke, not trusting that she wouldn't somehow make it worse. But Kakashi seemed to trust her.

"What can you tell us?" Asked the Jounin.

"It's hard to tell what's going on exactly, Kabuto's chakra is really aggressive right now." She grew nervous at feeling the Hokage's eyes locked on her. She sputtered "But-" She adjusted her glasses and added quickly, "-So is the kid's. It's like they're clashing; fighting for dominance. The body will react in all sorts of ways when it's out of balance like this. I'm surprised he hasn't suffered from chakra burns."

"Would the fever be a side effect?"

"Maybe... I don't really know much, but I know the immune system sometimes go completely haywire. If your chakra is out of balance, then you're entire body is out of balance and random things can go wrong. One moment it's the flu because the immune system is weak and the next thing you know, the immune system becomes hyper aggressive and attacks the body."

…and the next moment there's no circulation to your foot and then the next, you're eyes are criss-crossed, and the next moment, you're dead…There was a lot more she could have added to this.

"And you are certain that this chakra conflict is happening." Tsunade was skeptical.

Karin did not appreciate the woman's tone but tried to keep her irritation to a minimum. "I'm a sensor after all." She would not doubt that some crossness still managed to leak into her voice. Questioning her chakra sensitivity was one of the few things that annoyed her as much as Suigetsu. What was happening was as clear as day to her.

"You're trying the choke out Kabuto's chakra?" Karin asked with disbelief as she noticed the possible reason for the intensity of the Hokage's chakra focused at her finger-tips.

"The chakra's are in conflict but they are still mangled around each other. Doesn't matter how precise you are, you're going to damage his as well and kill him for sure."

"I realize that, but there's not much of a choice but to try. I take it you know about this sort of thing! Do you have a better solution?!" Tsunade was way too irritated for this right now.

"…No…but." It would be impossible, even for the hokage.

Karin knew this jutsu and had been assigned several times to victims of this sort of outcome. She'd seen things like this before. When jutsu like this were performed, they usually ended in pass or fail. This was considered the fail stage. That's when the two chakras would not accept each other and then attack each other in the host's body. There wasn't a very effective way to reverse the jutsu however.

"The best thing has always been…just to wait and see what happens. You may only make it worse." Karin knew this, because she rarely had a living patient by the end of the ordeal, even after multiple methods. Tsunade clearly did not like this idea however, nor did Kakashi.

Patients often ended up damaged if they did not die, but there were rare exceptions. Rarely did one chakra win and that was it, but it was possible. She kept her mouth shut though. She did not intend to make these people anymore her enemies than they already were. She felt a stone drop in her stomach however, as she looked at the kid in Kakashi's arms.

The chakra inside Sasuke was growing erratic again, and Sasuke's chakra independently fought to keep it from overtaking him. The struggle could only mostly be felt though Tsunade's jutsu or Karin's unique sensing ability, but Kakashi also observed it fearfully with his Sharingan. On the outside, it would only appear that Sasuke was being severely discomforted. He started to cry again, regardless of Kakashi's presence. His body grew warmer by the minute, just as is had before, and Kakashi feared that he was in pain.

"I…I don't know what to do." Tsunade admitted, feeling that the options were numbered. She had tried one thing after another, and nothing seemed to get rid of Kabuto's chakra without damaging Sasuke's; equally dangerous.

"Can't you supply him with more chakra?" Kakashi asked.

"I've tried but I only end up feeding Kabuto's as well. They're too tightly wound." Karin already knew this They either overcame it or they didn't.

"It reminds me of the way Sasuke's chakra use to struggle against the curse mark when it tried to overtake him." Karin looked at Kakashi now curiously. It was not something she expected to hear. "There's no way to seal the chakra off?" Kakashi added.

"It's the same case. I would have to seal off a large portion of Sasuke's too, which would be too dangerous. The thing about the curse seal it it went into remission. This does not."

"He has the curse mark!?" Karin asked with some surprise. The Jounin and Hokage looked at her now, much to her discomfort.

"Not anymore." Kakashi answered. "With the help of Tsunade-Sama's medical ninjutsu, he managed to overcome it, though Kabuto mentioned it was mainly due to the seal weakening."

"I didn't know that was possible. It must have been hard on his body."

"It was. He was in a lot of pain for weeks."

Karin was cynical. Most people didn't even survive the infection, but to have it removed was another thing. Nevertheless if they were telling the truth… "If he could survive having the curse mark placed on him and having it removed, then maybe he can survive this." She claimed. She adjusted her glasses as she watched the chakra's fluctuate inside the child's body.

"He was 12 when he was infected and 15 when we removed it. Now he's…"

"That won't make a difference."

"She's right. You're chakra doesn't change much after the first year. Are you saying that the jutsu and seal are correlated?"

"No. The way a foreign chakra tries to take over another is similar though. You see it in a lot of forbidden jutsu that Orochimaru developed. If Sasuke's chakra has shown the ability to handle the curse seal than he might be able to do the same with Kabuto since it has similar possessive properties."

"Why?"

"I don't know but if your body can handle one curse seal than it can handle any curse seal, as if the body become partly immune. I don't know what determines that since it's not the same for everyone. But if he can handle the seals, then this may be no different."

"Okay. But isn't there anything we can do? We can't just do anything."

"There's no way to help him. I said that earlier. There's nothing that you can do, unless you can somehow uncoil the chakra. You'll end up making it worse."

That was not something Kakashi or Tsunade wanted to here. To sit there and do nothing went against every fiber in their bodies. How could they except that? It only managed to make Kakashi angry. He was full of hatred towards Orochimaru,...and awe. To think that Orochimaru could do something like this. If he wanted Sasuke so badly, why go to such extremes? But he supposed he ought to have known the Sannin better than that by now. He after all gave Sasuke the curse mark, something that could have easily killed him also, yet Sasuke survived. Sasuke was a survivor, but that didn't ease the Jounin much. He only hoped that Sasuke was strong enough to do this again. He had no choice but to put his faith in the boy, and pray for the best. He grew anxious as Sasuke's chackra spiked violently.

* * *

Orochimaru was gasping for air at this point, his body starting to feel the effects of his battle with Itachi. He had been much stronger now, and he could fight the Uchiha, now on equal terms, even when most of his power came from crude experimentation and forbidden jutsu.

Itachi panted, his mangyekyo causing his eyes to grow slightly dimmer with chakra fatigue and exertion. But he had more in him. Much more. Orochimaru in this form had developed an effective way of dodging his genjutsu. The man could simply afford to keep his eyes closed.

Orochimaru flickered his tongue in the air, tasting Itachi; tasting the smell of his sweat and blood linger in the air. His eyes were shut, but his other senses were intensified. His sense of taste and heat detection was good enough to make an accurate mental picture and so he struck with that alone and his aim was shockingly and terrifyingly accurate.

Itachi considered his other options now, as physically, it was difficult to strike the beast effectively before it regenerated.

Amaterasu?

No. Amaterasu was too erratic. He did not have the sense of control some older users of the Mangyekyo had, or so he had heard. There was too much to catch afire here, and it would only put Sasuke in more danger.

So,… there was one other option, he regarded as Orochimaru came at him again with another strike. But he would have rather not. It was far too draining. Maybe more than his body could handle. More than his eyes could handle.

The Uchiha could see the cunning in Orochimaru's eyes, and he knew that he had something more up his sleeves as well, and the snake must have been getting close to using it at this point. They were both being pushed to the edge, but neither wanted to go over first.

"It's time for your end." Itachi spoke lowly, more to himself than Orochimaru. His sharingan practically glowed, his chakra bubbling there in pools of red as he gathered up his chakra for this difficult technique.

There was a shriek. Itachi was knocked off his concentration, his eyes growing wide in hidden terror. It was Sasuke. His baby brother's chakra flared, and the baby's wail could be heard by everyone across the battlefield.

"Sasuke." Itachi breath, ignoring Orochimaru completely.

"So. The jutsu is failing after all?" Orchimaru's snakish body sunk lower to the ground as it hissed angrily at his misfortune, but there was a prize there in front of him. At the very least, perhaps he would obtain the doujutsu alone if not the body as well.

The white snake launched at Itachi, catching his prey off guard.

End

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~Amaterasu333

I suppose that there's not much to say other than this chapter was a bit difficult to write, as there's not a whole lot going on. I think the next chapter is much much more interesting and I had more fun writing that one, although I'm still trying to figure out how to write the ending to that chapter. Otherwise, it's already done. It'll be a major chapter so I hope everyone looks forward to it. Thanks for reading.

**Note:**

Strangulātum

**Latin**

**Etymology: **From Greek word (_strangalē_, "a halter") and Latin (_strangos_, "tied together, entangled, twisted").

**Literal Meaning: **(to Halter/To Tie together)

**Derived words: **_Entangle, Strangle, Strangulate, Stifle._


	27. Auctus

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Hello. Phew. Chapter 27 is here guys. I'm having a lot of fun. Who knew it could be fun to be on time. This chapter was a bit fun to write. I'm working on the next chapter which seems like it will be fun as well. Ugh, I just realized I have less than two weeks to finish this story. Well, we'll see. I'm just so happy to be updating pretty regularly. I don't think I've ever updated so well, even when first beginning this story. 4th Chapter in less than a month! I'm enjoying this writer's rush. Please enjoy the chapter guys.

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**Chapter 27**: _Auctus_

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Sasuke's body was surrounded by a shroud of chakra and he was sobbing and crying enough for everyone to know that something was wrong. Kakashi knew not whether to pick him up and try to comfort him or not touch him at all, otherwise causing him pain.

"Karin. What's wrong with him?" Kakashi asked desperately, more than a little panicked.

"It's just like I said. His chakra is struggling with Kabuto's. Of course, it's probably a bit painful ."

"How long will he be in pain until the chakra settles back down."

"Damnit. How can I know?" Karin said. She felt frustration as well. It was one thing when it was someone who had been infected with the curse seal or some other jutsu, but she'd never had to deal with someone so young. She would like to think that she was indifferent to a lot of things, but not everything.

Karin could see anger growing in the Hokage's eyes, which made her rigid. "I swear, if there's something you're not tell us, I'll make sure y-"

"Tsunade-sama!" Kakashi interrupted. "I think she's telling the truth."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Back there, Kabuto wanted Sasuke from Karin. He was filled with so much rage and madness, I knew he would have hurt Sasuke the moment she handed him over. But she didn't, and she almost died for that. Kabuto almost killed her. I really don't think she wants to see Sasuke hurt any more than we do."

At this statement, the blond woman backed off. Though she was irritable and understandably upset, it wasn't any help to attack the girl.

Karin was surprised to hear herself being defended. Again, Kakashi had managed to surprise her. She bowed her head solemnly. "Look, if I could do anything, I would do it. I really would, Kakashi." If just for Kakashi, she would repay him by guaranteeing him his son's safety. But that was just impossible.

Sasuke cried again, his legs wiggling and kicking. His body was hot, especially the top of his head. The chakras seemed centered there. Kakashi felt Sasuke's head softly, breathing to become calmer. Panicking would not help Sasuke, nor would blaming, or arguing.

"You can touch him but I wouldn't move his body to much." Karin warned. "The chakra is imbalanced enough as is." Kakashi nodded, a little disappointed that he couldn't hold the crying boy, but understanding.

"Sasuke." He whispered in a calming tone. As calm as he knew how. Sasuke seemed to barely hear him, but turned his head slightly to Kakashi's voice. "Sasuke." He said again in a stern voice. "You can do this. You're strong. You've survived so much now and I know you can do this. You're too stubborn to lose. You're too stubborn to give up."

Kakashi meant this in a sense. Sasuke's body was strong and his chakra was strong. It was characteristically Uchiha. It could handle things others could not. The Sharingan was a good example of this.

Tsunade and Karin remained silent, just watching as Kakashi spoke to Sasuke. It seemed to calm the toddler somewhat to here Kakashi's voice, but he still continued to cry and whimper.

Everyone was completely absorbed in that moment, when the ground started to shake violently. Rumbling could be heard. It was loud and thunderous, and suddenly a shockwave blasted through the trees, as if from an explosion.

The remaining snakes, which were few at this point scattered, either to hide or due to the force of the impact, was blown into some tree. They felt the chakra and decided that they could not progress any father under those condition; they promptly dismissed themselves, leaving their master to his own tools.

"What the hell!" Naruto roared through the deafening noise. He covered his ears and had to crouch to maintain his footing.

"Dammit!" Suigetsu kneeled as well, his hands holding onto the hilt of his sword which blade dug into the ground for extra support. "That's Orochimaru's chakra!" He yelled to Naruto, knowing it well but never feeling it like this.

Sakura, being lighter in weight found it even more difficult to stay upright at all. She was surprised when a heavy hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to the ground. "It's him." Juugo said simply, warning Sakura of what was coming. "Cover your eyes."

Yamato raised wood beams to support himself. Tsunade crouched closer to the ground as did Karin and Kakashi, who kneeled over Sasuke to protect him. Yamato's wood barrier had mostly blown to pieces, unable to withstand the force for more than a few seconds.

Itachi unexpectedly blasted through the trees and landed somewhere amid them just as the shockwave ended its force. He maneuvered himself to land upright, but not without some cuts and scratches all over his body. His cloak flared behind him, just a bit tattered at the edges and around the colloar.

Itachi recovered quickly and jumped back, warning everyone to do the same as he could feel Orochimaru approaching. Several white snakes burst out of the forest, overlapping and crushing trees with its mass. Then it became clearer that what appeared to be many snakes were one creature. Eight terrifying heads and a throne of eight thorn-like tails sat behind; the creature's multiple heads were combined at the body.

Everyone looked up at this creature, its size overwhelming them immediately. It seemed to take pause however, and Itachi recognized an understandable fatigue in the hydra. It couldn't have been easy for Orochimaru to take this form. He would need a few moments to recover. The individual heads were practically gasping, wheezing even as it struggled to deliver oxygen to the oversized body. Some of the scales shuddered in pain.

"Itachi…?!" Kakashi called in surprise.

"Take Sasuke." Itachi ordered.

The Jounin looked at his boy, his face pained. "I-I don't think-." Kakashi almost ground out.

"Just take him." Itachi chakra grew in his eyes as he readied his most taxing technique.

"Itachi! We - can't!" At that moment Itachi looked back in frustration. He could see Sasuke's small body as he wiggled frantically around and whined. His sensitive sharingan could see his baby brother's chakra pulsing painfully within his body against the foreign chakra, which wrapped around Sasuke's as if trying to strangle it.

"He's already in enough pain and he's struggling enough. Moving him will make it worse." Kakashi mentioned as Itachi looked from Sasuke to the hokage.

"You're supposed to be helping him." It almost seemed as if Itachi fought to keep his calm.

"There's nothing more I can do. It's up to Sasuke to pull this one through." Tsunade admitted that she didn't want to be on Itachi's bad side, especially concerning Sasuke. But she was telling him, only the truth, which was hard. It was hard to admit that there was nothing that she could do for Sasuke.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto alarmed them as the hydra body began to budge from its position. It was coming back to life, its scales chattering and tongues lisping. "We got to do something about this thing." Naruto was ready to fight the creature whom that shark kid claimed to be Orochimaru, but he wasn't seeing a resemblance at all, even as he squinted and cocked his head to the side.

Sakura came to Naruto's side, as did Juugo to Suigetstu.

"So you betrayed me as well." The central head hissed. He was directed at Suigetsu. "What insolence I have suffered today." Another of the head's eyed Kakashi, whom kneeled still besides Sasuke.

"That boy. Such a failure of an experiment. He probably won't live." Orochimaru seemed almost amused. Indeed, if he couldn't have Sasuke, it seemed no one could, or Sasuke wasn't allowed to live. Kakashi's anger grew. He felt the increasing need to attack...

A streak of red flashed across the air at an almost invisible speed. Kakashi blinked. One of the heads went stiff, but the others were soon hissing in agony as the rigid head fell to the ground, spurting its own blood from the severed neck. The creature startled backwards as it took in an almost celestial appearance of a skeletal frame surrounding Itachi.

Everyone looked in awe at the massive thing, backing away, trying to determine if it was a transformation, summon, or creature of Itachi's own conjuring. Its bones were red, and it's aura was bright amber as flesh began to cover the fiery bone and then, overtaken by silken-like cloth. One arm of this other-worldly creature was outstretched, a fiery sword in its hands. It was clear that that was what had so effortlessly cut of the one head.

The shinobi backed away, even Naruto, who did not like the dark aura it sent. He could even sense the Kyuubi responding to it; the fox seemed to have a thing about sharingan users anyhow, so Naruto made sure to back away, as the Kyuubi's discomfort transferred to him.

Itachi had nothing to say to Orochimaru. He wanted to hear no more from him, and he had no more desire to speak as did most Uchiha. His actions would speak for him.

"Susanoo!" Orochimaru hissed. He had read of it and contemplated its authenticity. He never expected Itachi to have unlocked such ability if it had actually existed. Itachi only watched Orochimaru's reaction with little of his own, but found himself slight bemused to see Orochimaru had heard of it.

Itachi raised Susanoo's fire flanked arm, its mystical sword ready to strike the beast as its several heads all whipped forward in alarm. One pair of jaws latched onto Susanoo's wrist, for a moment halting the blade's descent.

Another hand materialized, grabbing the creature's jaw, and twisting violently; it snapped, a bonechilling pop filling the air. It had no choice but to let go, and before it could react a moment later a blade slashed through the base of the neck, and the head fell to the ground with an open mouth. The blade arced through the air, and yet a third head fell.

The hydra was down to five heads already, and it began to back away, desperately needing to distance its vital necklines from Itachi's merciless assault. Susanoo could capably pursue as fast as Itachi could, and Itachi would have if not for the sharp surge of chakra he sensed from behind.

Sasuke produced a loud cry, and Itachi immediately turned, as did the other shinobi. Naruto and Sakura expectantly ran towards him as his cries grew louder. Suigetsu and Juugo wandered over to stand next to Karin, unsure of what was happening, but they knew something was wrong based on Karin's expression.

Kakashi and Tsunade looked towards the child with fear, feeling that something was changing in him. The chakras within Sasuke were clashing more cruelly than ever and they realized that this moment might be what decided what happened to Sasuke; whether he survived this or not. And if he did, would it be that he remained a child or would he return to himself.

It would depend on which chakra dominated the other if they did not simply destroy each other in the end.

Orochimaru attempted to take Itachi's distraction as his chance to escape, but he found his body abruptly and agonizingly subdued by Susanoo's sword which Itachi had allowed to be submerged into the snake, staking its body to the ground.

Itachi could hardly bother to look at Susanoo's work as his full attention mostly went to Sasuke. He considered for a moment if there was a single thing that he could do. He had wanted to help Sasuke, but now at this crucial moment, he was completely helpless. He did not know what he would do If Sasuke were to die because of this; he felt he was to blame. He realized more than ever, than he wanted another chance. He wanted another chance to be the brother he should have been to Sasuke.

"Don't touch him." Karin warned Kakashi, whom had gotten closer. Sasuke's body was practically glowing with chakra that leaked from his body. It surrounded him in an eerie purple veil. It rose from him like stream.

Karin gasped, recognizing what was happening; understanding that the next several seconds would decide the boy's fate. She watched the child, as did everyone else, understanding the same, and they were terrified. Of those who had bonds with Sasuke, they did not know whether they would lose him or not. They would take a little Sasuke any day if it meant not losing him. Even Itachi could not take his eyes away from Sasuke, not knowing what it all meant, but hoping for the best result. Orochimaru attempted to fade into the background, but his body was pinned to the earth. A couple of the remaining heads fell to the ground gasping and hissing. In the end, even they trained their eyes on Sasuke, Orochimaru curious to see if Sasuke would be a failure. The boy whom had survived the curse mark; perhaps he would defy his expectations yet again.

The chakra swelled and everyone could feel a change occurring. Something was happening. their eyes grew with shock and surprise, as they looked upon Sasuke seconds later…

End

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~Amaterasu333

C'mon, you guys know I love crappy cliffhangers. You had to expect one. I'm counting 2 more chapters, maybe. Depends on how much content I can really write and how much I decide to put in one chapter. Let's say 3 to be safe but probably not.

Note:

**Auctus**

**Latin**

**Etymology: ** None

**Literal Meaning: **(To Grow, enlarge, increase, gather, prosper, come forth)

**Derived word(s): Augment: **To make greater (sometimes in size)


	28. Collapsus

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.**

Hello guys. Finally, here is chapter 28. I missed last weekend and nearly missed this one. Sorry about the late update, but I had too many things to do while also finishing to revise some things in this chapter that I felt needed to be fixed. But Its still not too bad compared to some of my longest update times. Haha. Well, as many of you realize, I missed my deadline of being finished by October 2nd. Wasn't a good amount of time to give myself considering even if updating once a week, I wouldn't have finished in time, but it was fun to try. Looks like one more chapter after this one. Depending on how much I squeeze in and if I intend to add any more. You may notice that this chapter it slightly longer than many. It was some stuff I was going to put in Chapter 29 but decided I could give you guys a little extra since I missed last weekend. It also made more since when I thought about it, to fit the material in this chapter. Also, since I fitted this stuff in chapter 28, next chapter should definitely be the last. Wow. I'm going to be so sad to see this story end.

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**Chapter 28:** _Collapsus_

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The waves of chakra receded, sputtering into the atmosphere like the last few burst of steam out of a kettle. Everyone's eyes lay in one place.

"S-Sasuke?" Kakashi stared at the motionless figure. Sasuke's body laid there in the grass; long muscular arms splayed beside him; hair resting against his sweaty forehead and a clenched jaw. He let out a deep groan; his sharp coal eyes opening slowly. He stared into an abyss of sky… and stared…and stared.

Sasuke sat upright suddenly, head snapping up as he looked about frantically, trying to make sense of what was happening. His well-known calm demeanor and void expression was nowhere to be found. "W-What. What am I-I…" He sputtered a response comparable to Hinata Hyuuga's.

'_**What am I doing here?'**_ He asked internally upon seeing the dense trees and feeling the moist grass beneath his hands

Kakashi looked at him with a warm smile underneath his mask. Tsunade smirked. "I guess we've got the old him back, after all." The Hokage commented.

"Sasuke!" Naruto and Sakura cawed horridly, offending the confused young man's right ear. He looked at them, eyes widening. There was a sort of hysteria growing in him.

'_**Why is everyone surrounding me!?**__'_ He noted Kakashi unusual expression, and Tsunade's satisfied smirk. His teammates looked at him with stupefied faces. He noted the people he didn't recognize; the two males and a red head whom was starting to… alarm him with her awed staring.

His two teammates seemed to attempt to hug him but stopped at the last moment, as if cautiously deciding against it. Sakura blushed and Naruto gave him an evil grin. This red-head girl stared at him with a dazed look, pinching her nose as if to stop some bleeding. The toothy guy next to her began to snicker and the tall orange haired man had no expression.

Sasuke looked down in surprise.

'**Why aren't I wearing clothes!?'**

Naruto started giggling hysterically as Sakura covered her face in embarrassment.

"I-I'm so glad to see you again Sasuke!" Sakura voiced emotionally, unable however to look at her naked crush. Karin didn't dare take her eyes off of him.

It took no time for Sasuke's reflexes to kick in, and frantically…he tried to cover himself, sputtering obscenities at the crowd of gawkers. "What have you done?!" He screamed angrily, swearing that Naruto was the only one who had the nerve for this. "DOBE! I'll kill you!" He shrieked uncontrollably as he searched for something to cover himself, in the end opting to childishly cover his face and cower into a ball as if that would make him invisible.

He felt something drape across his nude form. Uncovering his face, he could see it was some sort of dark cloth and he pulled it from over his head carefully, making sure that it kept wrapped around his shoulders and effectively covering his remarkable nudity. It was a black cloak, patterned with red embroidered clouds.

When he looked up in astonishment, seeing for the first time in years, his brother hovering there several feet from him, his face was no longer full of anger or flushed embarrassment, but void emotionless shock.

"I-Itachi…?" His brother, surrounded by Susanoo's veil of chakra looked at him, as if analyzing every one of Sasuke's withheld emotions. He had said nothing to his brother after giving him the cloak. There was only a quiet and vague expression of fraternal amusement; the kind of look he gave Sasuke when he was 7 years of age.

An earth rumbling hiss brought everyone out of the moment and a reunion would have to wait. "You Uchiha never cease to amaze me." Orochimaru had been confined to his position, weakened but aware. He did not expect Sasuke to survive, but it only proved how remarkably resilient he was.

An un-slain heads that had lain on the ground eyes flickered back to life, and abruptly struck from below, making it through Itachi's defensive Susanoo. A head held near the top snapped at Susanoo's wrist, compromising the sword struck through Orochi's body as a head below barreled towards Itachi. It was inches away before it burst into black flames; so strong that it instantly fell to the ground burning to the bone.

Itachi held the upper portion of his face and grunted softly as his eyes began to leak streams of blood. All the while, the Uchiha could feel his Susanoo taking damage. The tackled limb had been crushed at the wrist under the grave force of the snake's jaw and now the sword holding Orochi had dispersed into chakra. The remaining four snakes took their opportunity to attack, crushing its body against Susanoo, and every one of the remaining heads grabbing a portion of its body. Itachi's body became rigid as he felt his chakra disappearing in large sums as he continued to keep Susanoo from dispersing.

Sasuke still seemed in a state of shock as he watched his brother before his eyes. His mind was chaotic with confusion and he thought he was having an incredibly ridiculous dream, or trapped in some drunkenly cast genjutsu.

"We've can't just sit here and do nothing!" Naruto reasoned.

"He's right." Agreed Kakashi, even as he helped to lift a seemingly catatonic Sasuke to his feet.

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing; what he was seeing. He looked at Kakashi with bewilderment. "Can you stand?" Kakashi asked him on the side.

"I-…Yeah, but why-Itachi-" Kakashi sensed Sasuke's bewilderment.

"Itachi isn't our enemy for now. Actually, if it wasn't for him, you might not be with us right now." Sasuke gave Kakashi a look that questioned his sanity. "Look. I know things are confusing right now but you need to listen to me and get out of here. Kakashi tried to explain shortly. He thought that Naruto and Sakura would have to suck it up and not join in the battle in order to get Sasuke somewhere safe. He could feel that Sasuke was weak. His legs were shaky, and his chakra levels low and abnormal. In a way, he had been in a battle already.

Some sense seemed to be seeping into Sasuke as dozens of questions littered his mind all at once, ready to spill out of his mouth if he could just figure out what to inquire first. In the end, he somehow realized that it wasn't the time for questions, his shinobi instinct kicking in. It was an ask-questions-later type of situation.

"Sasuke. Do you hear me?!" Kakashi asked.

"Sure...But I won't go." He declared stubbornly, pulling away from Kakashi's grip. The boy located the sleeves to the oversized clothing, fitting himself in them carefully and lastly zipping up to below his collar, as if fitting armor and preparing for war. Kakashi opened his mouth to speak but in the end, all he could do was shake his head and smirk underneath his mask.

"You can hardly tell up from down, and you're still obstinate as hell. I guess you really are back. I missed you."

There was another odd look exchanged as Sasuke rolled up the sleeves. "Che. Whatever. I'm not leaving until I get an explanation." He looked at Itachi as what he assumed was something Orochimaru-related bucked against him in battle. Itachi seemed to be struggling. "Besides, I'm not just…going to leave. You'll probably break your back or something."

Kakashi chuckled, more amiably than usual-"Thanks for caring." -because Kakashi knew it was this Sasuke's way of showing he cared. "-I guess" Kakashi finished.

There was a slightly cocky smirk from Sasuke before the young Uchiha slumped over, barely catching himself. He realized them just how bad off his chakra was and he couldn't understand why. He had tried to activate his sharingan, but his body wouldn't let him.

"Don't…" Kakashi warned. "If you could get your sharingan to activate, you would definitely not even have enough chakra to maintain it afterwards."

Sasuke scowled; his body feeling that Kakashi was most likely absolutely right. He tried to think of an alternative but it seemed hopeless for him. He looked again at his brother, not sure why he would be even trying to help him. And why would Sasuke want to help him in return? He had a strange feeling bubbling in his chest, unsure of whether it was from his fatigue or the sight of Itachi making him emotional…Just then, Sasuke gasp, noticing Itachi as blood began to poor from his mouth. That sight was somewhat…outrageous, as if it was impossible for such a thing to happen to Itachi.

Susanoo gave an aggressive roar and everyone looked with apprehension. One of its restrained arms lashed backwards pulling away from the snake's fangs and then grabbing it by its jaw. The jaw was ripped off, and then what was left intact of the head was pounded into the ground below.

Everyone winced at the brutality of that particular kill. Itachi however remained impassive. There was pain, but even then, there was little emotion behind his tight features.

"Damn you!" Came Orochimaru's labored voice through one of the snake's heads. The other two heads fell to the ground, crumpling in weakness and blood loss from the gaping wounds sustained. The only snake that remained somewhat upright was trembling heavily. The white scales dripped with blood, and stained heavily. Thick pants could be heard from the remaining creature.

"Damn you Itachi Uchiha!" It opened its mouth wide, Orochimaru's body partly slithering out, covered in a layer of mucus and vomited blood. "I refuse to lose! I won't lose to you!" He avowed.

"You've already reached your end." Came the words tiredly from Itachi's mouth. His mangekyo spun slowly, as they peered into what was left of Orochimaru's desecrated form. The sword of Susanoo reappeared, instantly jutting through the last remaining head and Orochimaru with it.

"It's a sealing jutsu?" Karin observed as the monstrosity's entire body seemed to be drawn into sword and contained within the jar that had appeared in another of Susanoo's hands. The snakes fought against the force, trying desperately to break their connection but little by little, it's body was absorbed and contained. It gave out a fearful hiss; Orochimaru could be heard yelling in protest and disdain as the last bits of Orochi was absorbed and then…complete silence except the tired pants of Itachi and the slow rickety creaking of Susanoo, which soon deteriorated, it's form vanishing and leaving Itachi defenseless and vulnerable.

No one could really manage to speak for a moment and it took a while for them to realize; It was over. That quickly. Nothing was left of Orochimaru, not a single snake. There was only the severe damage done to the forest, but any trace of Orochimaru was gone.

Of course there was Kabuto's body…but the crows were taking care of it.

Sakura gave a sigh of relief. Naruto on the other hand frowned slightly, murmering something about Uchiha's being show-offs, though he felt a sense of reprieve. Yamato stepped up beside them in incredulity, not yet able to even register any happiness, or joy, or sense of accomplishment.

The three sound ninja could not believe their eyes. Karin's fell back, hand covering the bottom half of her mouth in astonishment. "He's gone." She whispered just loud enough for Suigetsu and Juugo to hear. Her senses did not lie to her. There was not a trace of Orochimaru left; either dead or sealed for what she hoped was eternity. Her two teammates knew that if she said that Orochimaru was gone, then there was no arguing against it.

Kakashi too, could not believe it was over. This had not just been a battle that lasted over a couple days, or even the weeks Sasuke had been transformed. This was a battle against an enemy that had gone on for years, starting with Orochimaru's defection, and now it was finally ended.

Tsunade felt a variation of emotions, ranging from reprieve, to guilt at not doing it herself, to an almost bitterness at seeing Orochimaru face such an end. He was at one point her teammate after all. They had shared missions together; Dreams; Ambitions. That was a long time ago, but now at the strangest time, some memories had resurfaced. "Fool." She whispered to herself with slight anger, before looking at Itachi. Any trace of his Susanoo had since disapeared and he now leaned fatigued, balancing his weight by placing his hands on his knees.

Kakashi looked over to Sasuke, not knowing what emotions he would find. Sasuke was unreadable. His face held a strange emotion. His lips were slightly parted just enough to see a few of his teeth. His brows were knitted, and his eyes were focused on Itachi.

Kakashi turned toward the older Uchiha to see his fatigue and wondered if he should go to him and help. No one else trusted him enough, he thought. But to Kakashi's surprise, Sasuke took the first steps to approaching his elder brother.

Sasuke walked slowly, not hesitating, but clearly in a state of disbelief. He probably never imagined he would ever be approaching his brother in such a situation, and his brother being in this state, made it even more unrealistic in his mind. He came within a couple yards, scrutinizing his brother carefully, finding it hard to comprehend Itachi's suddenly tattered form. No one dared to interfere, though they could not imagine what Sasuke or Itachi might do to one another; but only watched in a bit of apprehension.

Sasuke eyes lay on Itachi with so much focus; no one doubted that he might have been attempting to activate his sharingan, but instead, he only began to speak.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so near defeat." Sasuke finally spoke in an almost mocking, though slightly amazed tone, to everyone's surprise. Itachi glanced at his brother over his shoulder and smirked slightly, not surprised that such a thing would be the first to come out of his mouth.

"This is my chance, you know. I think even I could easily strike you down this way. Just a finely aimed stone could defeat you? I could gouge your eyes with a pointy stick. That's how weak you look right now."

"To tell you the truth, you're probably right." Itachi closed his bloody eyes and smiled. The warmth in his voice caught Sasuke off guard and he was swiftly filled with raw anger, as if something had broken.

His eyes shifted sharply, a distinguishable resentment reflecting off their surface. "Don't use that tone!" he nearly screamed, it reminding him too much of the old days. "How dare you! How dare you do the things you've done, and then come back here, claiming you want to 'protect' me! You almost destroyed me!" There was so much raw emotion; not a common thing at all for Sasuke to display. It was more than anger, it was pain. Sasuke was hurt and confused and disoriented, but if there one thing he knew, it was that Itachi of all people shouldn't have been there.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto tried to interject.

"No." Itachi spoke. It would hurt him, but he wanted to hear what Sasuke had pinned up for so many years. In Itachi's eyes, Sasuke deserved it, at the least, to let go of all that built up rage. He deserved at least that much. Itachi stood upright again, with as much strength as he had left.

"What you did, tortured me for years." Sasuke spoke again. "I couldn't understand why. Why you would kill them and leave me alive. I always felt, you should have taken me with them. I felt guilty to be alive. I was angry that you had killed our Mother and Father but left me the only survivor. All that anger and rage, I directed it towards you. I wanted to hate you so badly! And now you're here to protect me? Is that the truth...Or are you really here for Naruto…fucking Akatsuki." He said the last part under his breath, just barely loud enough for no one else but Itachi to hear. Itachi gathered that his brother must have been tired of getting the organization off the blond's tails. Maybe he had grown a little protective of the Jinchurikii over the years, especially knowing Itachi was within the organization.

Sasuke had to hear the answer from Itachi's mouth. He could never believe that Itachi would be there to protect him, no matter how many people told him otherwise. The other Uchiha neglected to speak for a moment, breathing deeply as if trying to catch his breath.

"Would you…really believe me if I said 'Yes'?" Itachi asked calmly, briefly wondering if Sasuke would attack him a moment later. Sasuke was speechless, his eyes glistening with inner turmoil.

"Liar." Sasuke said in a low voice, now containing more sadness than anger. "You pretended to care for all those years, and then you proved to me... that I meant nothing to you."

"I know you hate me, and I understand why-"

"Really! Was it hard to grasp!?"

He looked Sasuke straight in his eyes, thinking his brother would turn away in alarm, disgust, or anger, but he didn't. It was clear to Itachi that Sasuke no longer feared him by the way Sasuke held himself towards him. At the same time, he was confident, but it had nothing to do with proving himself to him. If anything, Sasuke was proving something to himself. It was then that Itachi realized that Sasuke had moved on in a way. Itachi hadn't been at the center of his life anymore. Sasuke had let him go…He wondered how much had he faded in Sasuke's mind before now, where his presence proved to resurface some feelings, but even now, he was more collected than Itachi would have guessed.

Itachi gave an almost sad expression, his body starting to shutter in pain. It was an expression that no one had ever seen, and it surprised even Sasuke. It was another of those moments in which Sasuke could hardly comprehend what was happening. Itachi coughed a few times.

"I caused you that pain, thinking that I had made the right decision, Sasuke. Now I know for certain, that it was a mistake. I'm sorry." Itachi admitted. Sasuke opened his mouth to deny something so outrageous, but somehow, he couldn't. Itachi's apologizing was so foreign to him.

Sasuke found himself fixated on just that thought alone, pondering how and why this was happening. How and why Itachi was there in front of him, apologizing for the massacre, as if he had only made a simple mistake, and yet the apology somehow meant something, for it evoked more than anger alone. It was unreal, and Sasuke found himself wanting to rip his hair out in pure frustration as Itachi eyed him with an actual emotion. "I'm sorry Otouto." Sasuke's entire form seemed to tremble at this.

And maybe he would have actually attacked Itachi…or started weeping in confusion, if not for Itachi's sudden coughing fit. The elder Uchiha, must to everyone's surprise, started to cough out large amounts of blood… and soon after collapse at Sasuke's bare feet. Sasuke could only stare at his brother's body, feeling his own body's urge to collapse under this weight…

End

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~Amaterasu333

Nothing much to say other than I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I hope you look forward to the conclusion. Please review and thanks for reading.

Note:

**Collapsus**

**Latin**

**Etymology: ** From com- "Together" + labi "to fall, slip"

**Literal meaning**: To fall together/ To fall at once/ To slip altogether.

**Derived words**: Collapse: To fall inward, or cave. For the inside to fall or cave.


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